Fireworks exploded, dancers streamed around a giant tree and the crowd roared ”Hellas, Hellas” as the 12th Paralympic Games opened with a party of thudding drums, lights and flowing costumes on Friday.
More than 3 800 disabled athletes paraded at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, the largest in the Games’ 44-year history.
”The real heroes of this evening are the athletes. We are here to celebrate you and your sport, but there is more to it than that,” said International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Phil Craven. ”You are the beacon of inspiration for millions of people around the world.”
A sell-out crowd of 60 000 filled Athens’s main Olympic stadium for the three-hour show created by French duo Yves Pepin and Martin Arnaud.
Launching the 11-day sporting event, the ceremony featured fireworks from the stadium roof, deaf performers, children in capes, light projections and a giant styrofoam tree, as Greece tried to continue the party momentum from the Olympics.
The IPC said 3 846 athletes from 136 countries will compete in 19 sports.
During the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, competitors from 123 nations participated. In Athens, organisers waived entry fees for all athletes and team officials.
”The essence of the Paralympic spirit is a Greek heritage expressed in just two words, kalos and kagathos: harmony and excellence paired with nobility and ability. All of you here prove every day that you are all of these things,” Craven said.
For the event, organisers constructed a 26m-tall styrofoam tree in the middle of the Olympic stadium. Weighing 32 tonnes, the tree was supposed to symbolise life and refer viewers to ancient Greece.
Greek singer Vicky Leandros performed the Greek national anthem just before percussionists entered the stadium to welcome the parade of nations, where both North and South Korea marched together. Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian delegations received loud applause from the audience, and an athlete from Turkmenistan did a handstand on his crutches.
The Greek team, led by gold-medallist swimmer Costantinos Fykas, entered the stadium last to thunderous applause.
During the parade, besides English and Greek, the names of the countries participating in the Games were announced in sign language.
”We celebrate the Games and the achievements of Paralympic athletes because you represent the best in all of us, the great human spirit that drives us to pursue our dreams and achieve what others view as impossible,” said Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, chief 2004 organiser.
Athens is not easily accessible for people with disabilities and city residents have been criticised for not respecting civic guidelines for people with disabilities.
”Athens has become a more accessible city. After you leave, Athens will remain a better city for all of its citizens and we thank you for showing us the way,” Angelopoulos-Daskalaki said.
A show with the themes of the sun, magma, water, earth and air involved hundreds of dancers.
Symbolising the ”human drama”, a large maze was beamed on to the field with the dancers moving around as if confused. As an image of fire was projected on to the tree, performers danced, and in an ode to the sea, they waved fans.
The roots of the tree appeared to spread across the entire infield and on to dancers’ costumes.
After Greek Paralympians carried the flame around the stadium, Greek long-jumper Georgios Toptsis lit the cauldron, firing off a string of fireworks across the roof until the cauldron ignited.
Toptsis (46) won bronze medals in the long jump at the 1988 Seoul and 1996 Atlanta Games and silver at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Greek tenor Marios Frangoulis and 12-year-old Kalli Georgellis sang together at the end of the ceremony.
Games for athletes with disabilities were first organised in Rome in 1960. The competitions later adopted the name Paralympics. — Sapa-AP