The eleven other flames, symbolizing the eleven days of competition following the opening ceremony Paralympics, will be lit simultaneously in cities such as Strasbourg, Montpellier, Lourdes, and Lorient before converging in Paris.
Among the torchbearers on Sunday will be eight-time Paralympic skiing champion Marie Bochet in Thonon-les-Bains and French cyclist Audrey Cordon-Ragot in Lorient. Paris 2024 announced these names on Thursday, though changes may occur up until the evening before.
A thirteenth flame will be lit on Sunday in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris.
DJ Barbara Butch, who starred in a tableau with drag queens during the Olympic opening ceremony on July 26, and Franco-Iranian comic book author and director Marjane Satrapi, who created the official Paris 2024 tapestry, will conclude this Parisian relay on the main stage of the “Rock en Seine” festival, near the capital.
Over 1.75 Million Tickets Sold for Paralympics
Lyon did not host the passage of the Olympic flame due to the high cost of the event—some departments found the €180,000 price tag prohibitive. However, for the Paralympics, Lyon will be included on August 26.
“It’s part of the city’s policy to promote and develop Paralympic sports and to give them visibility. It was a great opportunity,” explained the city hall in a statement to AFP.
According to the organizing committee, a total of fifty cities will be involved in the relays, with over 1,000 torchbearers and six collective relays (in Antibes, Chambly, Vichy, Fontainebleau, Bobigny, and Paris) highlighting individuals working in para sports, including volunteers and caregivers.
The Paralympic Games will kick off on August 28 with an opening ceremony between the Champs-Elysees and Place de la Concorde, once again directed by Thomas Jolly.
About 2.5 million tickets have been made available for the event. As of Wednesday, over 1.75 million had been sold or allocated, according to the organizers.