Take it as red — the stunning Opening Ceremony of the Paris Paralympics was bold, beautiful and true to the national motto of France.
Wearing a crimson suit, Christine and the Queens performed a powerful reworked version of Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien” with panache and elan, accompanied by a diverse coterie of dancers on the stage at Place de la Concorde.
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Also taking center stage was Lucky Love, the stage name of Luc Bruyère, who sang a version of his ballad “Masculinity” switched up to “My Ability”.
“I modified the lyrics so that everyone was represented, including women athletes,” he told Le Monde. “The most important thing for me was for no one to feel excluded during the ceremony.”
On a warm, dry summer’s evening — in stark contrast to the soggy start to the Olympics a month ago — this was a festival that celebrated liberty, that championed equality in all its forms, and that reached out to an audience beyond Paris in a spirit of togetherness.
A flypast by the Patrouille de France aerial display team, leaving trails of colored smoke, and a taxi completely covered in Phryges — the Games’ official mascots — were cheered by an estimated crowd of over 60,000 spectators.
As for the athletes, the Parade of Nations featured two flagbearers who also appear on Outsports’ Team LGBTQ roster — Great Britain’s Lucy Shuker and Iceland’s Mar Gunnarsson.
Both were evidently exhilarated by the occasion, beaming with pride as they led their delegations from the Champs-Elysees into the temporary arena.
Earlier this week, wheelchair tennis player Shuker — who will be competing at her fifth Paralympics — emphasized her personal connection to the pursuit of LGBTQ rights. Her partner, Amy, will be watching her in action at Roland-Garros.
“I want the world to be in a position where people can love who they want to love and that be accepted,” Shuker told Press Association Sport.
The 44-year-old added: “If we can inspire other people to feel safe and to come out and to talk and to be openly themselves, that is a positive thing.”
Artistic director Thomas Jolly’s theme of “Paradox: from discord to concord” was realized by a visual contrast between two groups of people — those in black suits and sunglasses, reminiscent of the multiplied Agent Smith from “The Matrix” movies, and those dressed in red, white and blue, in wheelchairs and gowns, tracksuits and pants.
The choice of Christine and the Queens as the evening’s main musical act was also purposeful. The singer, who is pansexual and genderqueer, stood atop a grand piano which was pushed around the stage by the dancers.
The lyrics he was singing embrace a rejection of the constraints of the past: “The lovers are all swept away, and all of their drama, swept away forever.”
Gunnarsson had similarly offered a modern perspective on love and sexuality when he spoke exclusively to Outsports recently. He invited his fellow athletes who are LGBTQ to bring their whole selves to their sport.
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“Hopefully by representing as yourself at an international meet like this in Paris, it’s contributing to a better world for everyone to live in,” he explained.
An acclaimed musician himself, he has composed a song specially for the occasion, titled “Spirit in Motion” — the motto of these Games.
Thereafter followed the lighting of the flame, the raising of the flag and the taking of the oath before Christine returned, launching into an exuberant cover of Patrick Hernandez’s 1970s disco classic “Born to Be Alive” accompanied by fireworks.
Now for the sport. Even before the competitive action begins on Thursday, we know of at least 38 publicly out LGBTQ athletes — that is already record representation, following on from the 36 who took part in the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.
That plays into the theme of this being the “Games Wide Open” — and with a growing appreciation of the importance of visibility at major events, the achievements of the Team LGBTQ class of 2024 deserve to be more widely applauded than ever before.
