Najwa Awane, Hicham Lamlas to Lead Morocco as Flag Bearers at Paris Paralympics Opening

The Moroccan delegation for the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be led by Najwa Awane, a wheelchair tennis champion, and Hicham Lamlas, a cecifoot (blind football) player, as they carry the national flag during the opening ceremony of the Games.

Rabat – The Moroccan delegation for the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be led by Najwa Awane, a wheelchair tennis champion, and Hicham Lamlas, a cecifoot (blind football) player, as they carry the national flag during the opening ceremony of the Games.

The opening ceremony is set to commence today at 8:00 p.m. local time at Place de la Concorde, the historic square in central Paris. This marks the first time the Paralympics will commence outside a main stadium, following the precedent set by the 2024 Olympics, which featured an opening ceremony along the River Seine.

The event will include a procession through iconic locations, transitioning from the Avenue des Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde.

The Games will feature 4,400 athletes from 184 delegations competing across 11 days of intense sports action, starting from August 29. The Moroccan team comprises of 38 athletes, including 24 men and 14 women, who will compete in various sports.

Many of the venues used will be the same as those from the recent Olympics, including the Grand Palais for fencing and taekwondo, the La Defense Arena for swimming, and Stade de France for track and field events.

The Paralympic flame was ignited at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement, and transported to France through the underwater Channel Tunnel, making stops in various French cities.

The International Paralympic Committee emphasized the importance of placing Paralympic athletes at the center of Paris to serve as a reminder of the ongoing need for improved accessibility in the city.

“Putting Paralympic athletes in the heart of the city is already a political marker in the sense that the city is not sufficiently adapted to every handicapped person,” said artistic director Thomas Jolly, who will oversee the opening ceremony, in a statement.

For those wishing to watch the live broadcast of the 2024 Paralympics, Peacock will once again be the official streaming platform, alongside NBC, CNBC and USA Network.