Barbados represented at Paris Paralympics

he Opening Ceremony of the Paris Paralympics got underway Wednesday in the centre of the French capital, firing the starting gun on 11 days of intense competition. The Barbados flag was flown at the Opening Ceremony by para swimmer, Antwahn Boyce-Vaughan.

 

Just as for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics on the River Seine in July, Wednesday’s opener took place away from the main stadium for the first time at a Paralympics.

 

Boyce-Vaughan is in his second Paralympics, having finished second in Heat 1 of the S9 Men’s 50m freestyle with a personal best time of 37.86 seconds at Tokyo 2021.

 

Turning 24 in a matter of weeks, Boyce-Vaughan learned to swim less than four years ago. He became the third (and youngest) Bajan to compete under the aegis of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC).

 

Cyclist Daniel Coulthurst appeared at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, competing in both track cycling and road cycling at the Games. Swimmer David Taylor also represented Barbados in men’s S9 50m freestyle and SB8 100m breaststroke in both 2008 and 2012.

 

The 2024 Games opened in balmy weather at Place de la Concorde, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.

 

The ceremony culminated with the lighting of the cauldron, which has already become a highly popular point of interest in the city since its debut at the Olympics.

 

When the sporting action begins on Thursday, a new generation of Paralympians will join seasoned veterans competing in many of the same venues that hosted Olympic sports.

 

Eighteen of the 35 Olympic venues will be used for the Paralympics, which run until September 8, including the Grand Palais, which scored rave reviews for its hosting of fencing and taekwondo under an ornate roof.

 

Boyce-Vaughan will compete at La Defense Arena, where Jack Kirby took part in Olympic swimming last month. Track and field will take place on the purple track of the Stade de France.

 

The Paralympic flame was lit at Stoke Mandeville hospital in England, the birthplace of the Games, and brought to France through the Channel Tunnel before touring French cities.

(TF)