Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony

how to watch, plus highlights of first two days of competition

wheelchair basketball paralympics 2024

On Wednesday 28 August, Paris will host its first-ever Paralympic Games, and will begin with a spectacular Opening Ceremony in the heart of France’s capital.

At 20:00 local time, Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées will play host to 4,400 Paralympic athletes from 184 delegations as they celebrate the commencement of 11 days of competition, starting 29 August.

Lead by Thomas Jolly, the spectacle will “showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody”, said the Artistic Director for the Ceremonies across the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Paris 2024.

Describing the concept as “first and foremost a magnificent source of inspiration” Jolly promises “performances that have never been seen before” in a “spectacle that will unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games”.

The ceremony will again take place outside the confines of a stadium, with athletes parading down the famous avenue, culminating in a celebration and official opening of the Paralympic Games at the iconic square in front of thousands of spectators

“What an incredible moment for our athletes, who will be part of a historic Opening Ceremony, on the world’s most famous avenue, surrounded by all the charm of Paris,” enthused Jitske Visser, Paralympic wheelchair basketball medallist, IPC Athletes’ Commission President and competitior at Paris 2024.

“This ceremony at the heart of the city is a strong symbol illustrating our ambition to capitalise on our country hosting its first-ever Paralympic Games to position the issue of inclusion for people with disabilities at the heart of our society,” said Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 President.

Medals are up for grabs in track cycling, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo when the action begins on Thursday at the Paris Paralympics, which opened in a colourful and hope-filled ceremony ahead of 11 days of competition.

The action also begins in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, badminton, archery, goalball — a form of football for the visually impaired — and boccia, a version of bowls.

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open on Wednesday during a ceremony in a balmy Place de la Concorde in central Paris — the first time a Paralympic opening ceremony has taken place away from the main stadium.

The 4,400 competitors from 168 delegations paraded into the arena as the sun set with host nation France entering last to a standing ovation from 30,000 spectators.

The fine weather was in sharp contrast to the heavy rain which fell throughout the Olympics opening ceremony on July 26.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons told the athletes and spectators he hoped for an “inclusion revolution”, before Macron officially declared the Games open.

The Paralympic flag was carried into the square by John McFall, a British Paralympic sprinter who has been selected by the European Space Agency to be the first ‘parastronaut’.

French Olympian Florent Manaudou brought the flame into the arena to complete the four-day torch relay.

Five French Paralympians, including 2020 gold medallists Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keita, lit the already-iconic cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens.

Of the 35 Olympic venues, 18 will be used for the Paralympics including the ornate Grand Palais and the Stade de France.

Ticket sales had been sluggish for the Paralympics, which run until September 8, but they have accelerated since the Olympics and organisers say more than two million of the 2.5 million available have been sold, with several venues sold out.

– Ukraine send strong team –

Riding the wave of their Olympic team’s success, host nation France are aiming for a substantial improvement on the 11 golds in 2021, which left them 14th in the medals table.

Paralympic powerhouses China dominated the last Paralympics in Tokyo with 96 golds and have again sent a strong delegation.

Ukraine, traditionally one of the top medal-winning nations at the Paralympics, have sent 140 athletes to compete in 17 sports despite the challenges they face in preparing as the war against Russian forces rages at home.

A total of 96 athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under a neutral banner but are banned from ceremonies because of the invasion of Ukraine.

American above-the-knee amputee sprinter/high jumper Ezra Frech, who is 19, has been tipped as a potential new star at these Games.

Away from the track, more established names go in search of glory.

Iranian sitting volleyball legend Morteza Mehrzad, who stands 8ft 1in (2.46m) tall, will attempt to take gold again.

Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Vio, the Italian fencer who had all four limbs amputated when she contracted meningitis at the age of 11, is aiming for a third Paralympic Games gold.

Emma Raducanu facing sponsorship uncertainty after tearful US Open exit

Emma Raducanu is facing sponsorship uncertainty in the wake of her tearful first-round exit at the US Open, after a demoralising defeat that extended her winless run since 2021’s famous New York breakthrough to three years.

Raducanu broke down in tears at her post-match press conference after a three-set loss to Sofia Kenin, the world No 54 and former Australian Open champion.

The early exit meant that Raducanu has failed to go beyond the second round at seven of the eight grand slams she has competed in since winning at Flushing Meadows, on top of the four she has missed through injury.

Her lack of warm-up matches has come under intense scrutiny following Tuesday’s loss, with even regular supporter Tim Henman suggesting that the Raducanu camp had made the wrong call to skip a month of North American hard-court events in favour of training at the National Tennis Centre in south-west London.

Several of Raducanu’s sponsorship deals are up for renewal this year, as well as her management-agency contract with IMG. The value of any extensions could be affected by her poor record at the majors and her modest ranking at No 72. Since her New York breakthrough in 2021, she has failed to win more than three matches at any event.

Raducanu’s registered company, Harbour 6, posted profits of just under £10 million in 2023. Her prize money for that season was less than £200,000 due to lengthy injury lay-offs, so most of that income is likely to have come from her nine major sponsorship deals with British Airways, Vodafone, Tiffany, Dior, Porsche, Evian, Wilson, Nike and HSBC.

Raducanu admitted to feeling sad and down after her defeat, in which she struggled to compete with Kenin’s power off the ground.

“I’m just going to go back to the drawing board and train and analyse where I went wrong and try to improve for the rest of the season,” Raducanu said after her 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 loss. “Obviously, the slams are over for this year, but it’s not actually that long until Australia comes around again.”

Raducanu also acknowledged that it had been a mistake not to schedule more matches in the build-up to New York, saying: “I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more … I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently.”

The same point was made by Henman. “This has all been a rebuilding process when she’s coming back from the surgeries,” Henman said on Sky Sports. “When she has played she has played very well.

“That [the three-and-a-half weeks between Raducanu’s Washington quarter-final and this US Open opener] was a big chunk of the summer to miss. Obviously they were big tournaments and she wasn’t a direct acceptance [into the main draw] but in hindsight she probably should have been in qualifying [at Toronto and Cincinnati] to get those match reps under her belt.

“She’s learning all the time and fingers crossed she’s going to have many more opportunities here at the US Open in the future. I still think her game is moving in the right direction and there are still elements that she can do better.”

Anonymous NFL coach pinpoints key difference between Purdy, Jimmy G

Programming Note: Watch “49ers Now” with Matt Maiocco and Carlos Ramirez at 5 p.m. PT today from Santa Clara, streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Watch the show later on YouTube and Facebook.

The 49ers have had their fair share of quarterback controversies.

But it appears the 49ers have found their signal-caller of the future when they least expected it after selecting Brock Purdy with the very final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was thrust into the starting role during his rookie season after injuries to former 49ers quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance.

After Garoppolo’s six-season stint with San Francisco, those around the NFL already have been able to compare and contrast Purdy’s two 49ers seasons to those of his predecessor. And one anonymous NFL coach told The Athletic’s Mike Sando one key difference that separates Purdy from Garoppolo.

“When they have had to move the ball via dropback pass, that has been the difference between him and Jimmy,” the head coach told Sando. “Purdy has done it, and he’s done it in moments where he had to pull the ball down against Detroit and go get a first down with his legs.

“He has an innate feel. He has proven even when it’s not going well, he’s a quarter away from clicking in, and you’d better have a lead when he does.”

Despite leading San Francisco to consecutive NFC championships and a trip to Super Bowl LVIII last season, his first as the official starter, Purdy’s success has been questioned and critiqued, with many suggesting his success solely relies on the system that he’s in under Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers.

The naysayers have labeled the 24-year-old as a “system quarterback” or a “game manager” rather than a “game changer.”

One unnamed defensive coordinator told Sando that while the 49ers might have unlocked layers to Purdy’s potential, the quarterback has made the most of his opportunity as he rises toward NFL stardom.

“The system really helps, but he maximizes it,” the defensive coordinator said. “I’m not saying he is Kurt Warner, but he reminds me of that type of body. Not big, not a great arm, but he’s accurate, he knows when to get rid of the ball, he’s sharp, he’s a little bit better athlete than you think.”

One offensive play-caller added Purdy is “really underrated.”

“I honestly could debate calling Brock a 1,” the play-caller told Sando. “He is really underrated. Kyle Shanahan deserves a ton of credit, but there still has to be somebody at the switch.”

Finally, one assistant general manager who spoke to Sando praised Purdy while giving credit to the 49ers’ coaching staff.

“I’m not sold that it is a universal skill set for varying systems. But for their system and their offense, they greatly capitalize on what his abilities are,” the GM said. “That is a credit to the coaching staff.”

Peter Laviolette Looking To Make Changes For Rangers

The New York Rangers didn’t make many moves this summer following their President’s Trophy winning season, but coach Peter Laviolette expects changes to be made.

By many people’s standards, the Rangers had a fantastic season. While that’s true in some sense, New York lost to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, where there were clearly flaws shown in their game.

Laviolette is determined to ensure the Rangers build upon their mistakes of the past as their championship window remains wide open.

“This group will be new,” Laviolette said via Dan Rosen of NHL.com. “Even though there are a lot of familiar faces and a lot of the coaches will be the same, there is change in some of these places, and we have to look to build it again, to get better from where we were last year.”

The Rangers went out and traded for Reilly Smith and signed Sam Carrick to bolster their forward core.

Other than those two moves, though, Chris Drury took a very conservative approach, and the Rangers are coming back with nearly an identical roster to the one they had this past season.

Laviolette is looking to shake up the lines a bit in order to find a new spark, which will likely be discovered at training camp.

“There are a lot of things I’m familiar with and I have a comfort level with, and then there are things we will see if we can find some chemistry with through different avenues,” Laviolette said. “It’s hard to give an exact answer and say this is locked in. You’d like to say that, but you’ve got to go through training camp, get some practices and play some games.”

The Rangers are set to begin training camp at some point in September and Laviolette will have some big decisions to make.

Celtics, guard Lonnie Walker IV agree to one-year contract

The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics have added another veteran player to their roster.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night that the C’s have signed free agent Lonnie Walker IV to a one-year contract.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported further details on Walker’s deal:

The 25-year-old guard joins a Celtics roster that is nearly identical to the one that beat the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. The top 11 players in minutes per game from that championship team are returning for the 2024-25 campaign.

Walker was a first-round pick (No. 18 overall) by the San Antonio Spurs in 2018. He played for the Brooklyn Nets last season and averaged 9.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 58 games.

Walker should be a good fit for the Celtics given his impressive athleticism and ability to knock down 3-pointers. Walker shot 38.4 percent on 3-point attempts last season.

The University of Miami product isn’t likely to play a major role in the Celtics offense, but he should be able to provide reliable scoring off the bench, and that is always valuable.

Inside Emma Raducanu’s inner circle – and the decision makers in her entourage

fiona tomas

Wed, Aug 28, 2024, 8:41 PM GMT+5:30·5 min read

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A tearful Emma Raducanu admitted she had mismanaged her schedule after her opening round loss to Sofia Kenin at the US Open.

Raducanu, who is yet to win a match at Flushing Meadows since her stunning triumph there three years ago, took a three-and-a-half-week break from competitive tenns after her quarter-final loss to Paula Badosa at the Washington Open on Aug 4.

She decided to skip Masters events in Toronto and Cincinnati, where she would have had to go through qualifying, and instead trained at the National Tennis Centre in south London—a “collective” decision that she said was made by her team.

So who is in Raducanu’s inner circle? And who is ultimately responsible for managing her schedule?

Nick Cavaday – coach

One of the most trusted figures in her entourage, Cavaday, her childhood coach, played an influential role in Raducanu’s development as a junior, guiding her at Bromley Tennis Centre, in Kent, between the ages of 10 and 12.

A former head coach of the LTA’s Loughborough Academy, the 38-year-old has kept in contact with Raducanu since her US Open success, helping her out with practice at the National Tennis Centre last year before the pair struck a more formal agreement ahead of this year’s Australian Open.

He has been a valued member of her entourage ever since and is known to pride himself on developing young talent. He counts British players Aljaz Bedene (who later reverted to Slovenian nationality) and Dom Inglot among his alumni.

Will Herbert – physio

Raducanu has had a carousel of coaches since her fairytale in New York but Herbert is one of the few remaining members of her US Open-winning team.

A former player who never made it to the professional ranks, Herbert played a crucial role in Raducanu’s Flushing Meadows success—even featuring in the photos she published on Instagram—and is often seen cheering her on. The pair’s relaxed relationship has been clear to see, with Raducanu previously calling him the “mechanic”.

Ian and Renee – parents

Raducanu’s parents are the main driving force behind their daughter’s work ethic. Both work in the finance sector but are said to be strikingly different.

Ian is said to take a particular interest in his daughter’s coaches and has a more hands-on approach—at one time he apparently wanted her to have a different coach for each shot.

Meanwhile, his Chinese wife, Renee, is the no-nonsense one and a nervous spectator. Raducanu has previously singled her out as her role model. “Her work ethic is something that she’s instilled in me from a young age; I definitely got that from her,” she said in an interview with Tatler. “She’s very strong and she is great at reading people, which I’ve also picked from her.”

Benjamin Heynold – best friend

Raducanu counts former tennis player Heynold among her closest friends. The pair have known each other since they were six and grew up representing Great Britain on the junior circuit.

Little is known about their friendship, although Heynold was studying in New York at the time of Raducanu’s US Open success. He allegedly offered to be her post-tournament tour guide and sent the rumour mill whirring when the pair were snapped below a Manhattan billboard with Raducanu’s face projected onto it.

The duo, though, are said to be good friends and Raducanu valued his presence in New York as her parents were unable to travel to support her because of Covid travel restrictions.

Iain Bates – head of women’s tennis at LTA

Raducanu has consistently credited the LTA for its pivotal role in her career and has often tapped into its resources. Bates oversaw her development at the National Tennis Centre during her early years and, along with Herbert, was with her in New York for her US Open triumph.

More recently, he was highly supportive of Raducanu’s decision not to play at the Paris Olympics, saying he was “very comfortable” with the situation.

Jane O’Donoghue, mentor

One of Raducanu’s most trusted confidantes. O’Donoghue was the LTA’s national coach for women between 2009 and 2019 and during that time was heavily involved in Raducanu’s junior career.

She now works for a subsection of the Credit Agricole/Santander banking empire but pops back to the tennis court to offer support when she can. Raducanu called on O’Donoghue to help her prepare for this year’s Nottingham Open after Cavaday became unwell and before that spent a week with her in Auckland at the start of the year.

She also guided her Wimbledon campaign in 2022, when she was beaten in the second round by Caroline Garcia.

Max Eisenbud – agent

IMG super agent Eisenbud, the vice-president of tennis at entertainment giant IMG, is the mastermind behind Raducanu’s impressive portfolio of sponsorship deals, which include Tiffany & Co, Dior, Wilson, Evian, Porsche, HSBC, Vodafone and British Airways.

In the aftermath of her Flushing Meadows success, Eidenbud revealed he had started tapping up high-brow partners long before Raducanu was crowned an unlikely champion.

“We were just enjoying the ride until, like, the quarters,” he told Andy Roddick’s Serve podcast. “And once she got to the quarters, I said to my team, this is happening. This is, like, happening.” He is best known for helping Maria Sharapova earn up to £20 million a year in sponsorships before the pair’s relationship broke down in 2016 over the Russian’s drugs ban.

49ers getting impatient with Brandon Aiyuk? ‘At some point, you got to play’

Brandon Aiyuk was a constant topic of conversation a few weeks ago, when it seemed like a resolution to his contract standoff was imminent. Then, nothing.

It seems obvious that the San Francisco 49ers do not want to trade Aiyuk. No contract agreement has been reached. But the 49ers are ready for him to get back to practice.

Aiyuk is under contract, after all. It’s just not the contract he wants.

“At some point, you got to play,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

For Aiyuk, the day he has to play wasn’t Wednesday. Aiyuk was not present at the start of practice. He had back and neck issues early in camp, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, and now that he has been cleared, he could be subject to fines for not practicing.

For the entire offseason, the 49ers have taken the high road, saying they want Aiyuk to be part of their team and not expressing any frustration about his hold-in or the contract impasse. But the tone seemed to change Wednesday, 12 days before the 49ers are slated to play the New York Jets in Week 1.

Brandon Aiyuk still in limbo

Lynch’s comment seemed telling. So did 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, saying that Aiyuk had been medically cleared to practice.

“I hope he’s out there,” Shanahan said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.

And nothing changed, as Aiyuk was not at the start of practice Wednesday, via Maiocco.

The 49ers seem to be running out of patience with the situation.

The 49ers did reportedly have the framework of a trade finished with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month, but Aiyuk and the Steelers were waiting on the 49ers to sign off. The 49ers never did, and it’s fair to wonder if they had any genuine intention of trading their leading receiver from last season or just wanted another team to set the market on a new contract.

The 49ers are chasing a Super Bowl this season, and they’re further from that goal without Aiyuk. It’s not surprising they aren’t too interested in trading him.

And now, near the end of August, they seem ready to exert their leverage, which is his $14.1 million salary to play this season. As Lynch said, at some point, Aiyuk has to play if he wants that money.

Trent Williams wants a new deal, too

Aiyuk isn’t the only high-profile 49ers player who isn’t practicing. Left tackle Trent Williams wants a new deal, too.

That’s a No. 1 receiver and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer whom the 49ers are unsure they’ll have on the field for Week 1.

“We value Trent, we love Trent, we want Trent here, and I’m hopeful that can happen soon,” Lynch told the media.

This isn’t how the 49ers wanted to start the season. They’re coming off an NFC championship and brought almost all of their roster back. Or at least, they thought they were bringing mostly everyone back before two of their most important players decided to stay away from the club while seeking new deals.

The 49ers seem close to playing some hardball with Aiyuk as everyone waits for something to happen. We’ll see if Aiyuk soon agrees that at some point, he has to play.

Patriots practice squad tracker: Latest news, rumors and signings

Patriots practice squad tracker: Latest news, rumors and signings originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots trimmed down their roster to 53 players by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, but building out the initial practice squad for the upcoming NFL season remains a work in progress.

The Patriots announced their first seven practice squad signings Wednesday afternoon. All of them took part in Patriots training camp this summer.

A practice squad can have a maximum of 16 players, so we should expect more additions in the coming days and weeks.

The most notable name on the list is running back Kevin Harris. He had a good training camp and played very well in the third and final preseason game versus the Washington Commanders, during which he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

Harris was among the few somewhat surprising cuts the team made before getting its roster down to 53 players Tuesday.

Here’s the full list of players currently on the initial Patriots practice squad (This list will be updated as more additions are made):

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