Paris 2024 Paralympics Concludes with Spectacular Closing Ceremony
The Paris 2024 Paralympics has officially wrapped up with an unforgettable closing ceremony held at the Stade de France, celebrating an incredible 11 days of athletic excellence in the heart of France.
A vibrant performance featuring twenty-four renowned artists from the French electronic music scene infused the atmosphere with energy, entertaining an audience of 4,400 athletes from 168 delegations worldwide.
Great Britain’s flagbearers for the closing event, Poppy Maskill and Matt Bush, led their squad in a fitting finale. Maskill, at just 19 years old, achieved remarkable success, securing three gold medals and a total of five medals—matching the highest tally by a British athlete in Paris. She shared this honor with her swimming teammate Alice Tai and wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn.
Matt Bush, 35, made history by bringing home Great Britain’s first-ever gold in Para-taekwondo, triumphing in the men’s K44 +80kg category.
The British team, consisting of 215 athletes, finished a strong second in the overall medal standings with 124 medals, including 49 gold, 44 silver, and 31 bronze, surpassing their gold medal count from the Tokyo 2021 Games.
As the world looks forward to the next Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028, Broadway star Ali Stoker will perform the American national anthem, marking a new chapter for the Paralympic movement.
