PARIS – With the Olympics behind it, Paris is getting ready for the next big sporting event on the calendar this summer: the Paralympics.
Organizers are taking advantage of the post-Olympics lull in the French capital to get ready for events ranging from wheelchair rugby to para athletics during the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 games.
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The Place de la Concorde, the historic square in the heart of Paris, has been bustling with construction activity since the Olympics closed on Aug. 11.
The site, which hosted skateboarding, breaking and 3x3 basketball during the Olympics, will host the opening ceremony for the Paralympics next Wednesday.
Organizers are promising a groundbreaking "spectacle," as thousands of athletes and tens of thousands of spectators gather for the event, which marks the first time the opening ceremony will take place outside a stadium.
Most other Olympic venues will remain in place.
The Château de Versailles will host para equestrian events, the Grand Palais will welcome wheelchair fencing, and the venue beneath the Eiffel Tower, which hosted beach volleyball during the Olympics, will now host blind football, an adaption of soccer for visually impaired players.
For the organizers, the goal for the Paralympics is clear: to keep up the enthusiasm that the Olympics brought to Paris.
“We want to use the same exact recipe,” said Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee. “The Olympics were the first leg of the match, and now comes the second leg with the Paralympics. It will be equally as spectacular.”
Both Paris 2024 and the International Paralympic Committee have launched a campaign titled “Game is not over,” with ads throughout the French capital encouraging locals to come and watch the Paralympic events.
“French fans who missed the chance to see the Olympics live now have a second shot,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. "Paris will be alive, tickets will be affordable. It’s the perfect show for families.”
In the period between the two sports events, however, Paris has slowed down considerably. August is normally the month when many Parisians go on vacation, and leave the city for coastal towns or the countryside. As a result, the streets are notably quieter, and many businesses, including restaurants, are closed until September.
Some Parisians who have remained in the city are taking advantage of the relative calm to catch their breath after the Olympics.
“I think we all needed a break after cheering so much,” said Alexia Latour, a 27-year-old accountant meeting friends at the Parc Monceau, a park in the upscale 17th arrondissement of Paris. It hosted one of the liveliest fan zones during the Olympics. Now, the buzz has faded, and the fan zone has become a peaceful space for family activities. Instead of live sports, the large screens at the moment show family-friendly movies and concerts.
“We went from 2,500 visitors to fewer than 100 a day, mostly locals,” said Alex Lemaistre, who oversees activities at the fan zone. “Our goal is to keep the Olympic spirit going, but it’s pretty difficult. Now we don’t have French athletes like Léon Marchand to cheer us up.”
Yann Nguyen, 51, who came to the fan zone for an afternoon musical performance, said he wasn't sure Paris would manage to keep the Olympic excitement levels going into the Paralympics.
“I find it a bit odd that they didn’t start the Paralympics right after the Olympics closing ceremony,” Nguyen said. “September is the start of the new school year here. I’m not sure how they will keep the festive atmosphere going.”
Despite the quieter streets, security remains a visible and constant presence. Armed police officers patrol key areas, a reminder of the heightened security measures in place during the Olympics. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin earlier this week said some 25,000 police officers will be deployed during the Paralympics.
Police forces also will be deployed during the Paralympic torch relay — the flame is set to arrive Sunday in France from Stoke Mandeville, a the English village that is widely considered the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.
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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games