With just two months to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, a giant Agitos - the symbol of the Paralympic Movement - has been installed on the French capital’s iconic Arc de Triomphe.
The installation marks the first time in history a giant Paralympic Agitos has been displayed in a host city before the start of the Olympic Games.
Althoughthe Paralympic Agitos was displayed on Tower Bridge for London 2012, Copacabana Beach for Rio 2016, and Tokyo Bay for Tokyo 2020, installation only took place after the conclusion of the Olympic Games.
The Agitos is the visual representation of the Paralympic Movement. Their name comes from Latin and means “I move” and the shape represents athletes from all over the world coming together to a central point – the Paralympic Games. The three colours – red, blue and green - represent the most widely spread colours used in national flags around the world.
Andrew Parsons, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President: "To see the Agitos, the symbol of the Paralympic Movement, on one of the most recognisable landmarks in the whole world is a very special moment and one that really does announce that the Paralympic Games are imminent in Paris.”
Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024 said: "I am proud to see these Paralympic Agitos at the top of the Arc de Triomphe and that we are the first host country of the Games to display them at the same time as the Olympic rings. From now on, everyone will be able to see them in the heart of the capital, and on 28 August, the Avenue des Champs Elysées will become the Avenue of the Paralympic Games for an Opening Ceremony at the Place de la Concorde that promises to be unforgettable."
— Paris 2024 (@Paris2024) June 28, 2024Quel plus bel endroit que l’Arc de Triomphe, monument historique et point culminant de la plus belle avenue du monde, pour accueillir pour la 1ere fois en France les Agitos, symboles des Jeux Paralympiques !
Produits en France en acier 100% recyclé par ArcelorMittal, ils… pic.twitter.com/tR99ViWbQJ
World’s most beautiful avenue
The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most iconic landmarks on earth and attracts 1.75 million visitors each year. Standing at 50m high, itsits at the top of one of the world’s most beautiful avenues, the Champs-Elysees.
On 28 August, around 250 million TV viewers from around the world will set their eyes on the Champs-Elysées and Place de la Concorde as the two venues place host to Paris 2024’s unprecedented Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, the first time the ceremony has been held outside of the stadium and in the heart of the city.
Installing the symbol
During the night of 27 to 28 June, teams from ArcelorMittal, an official partner of the Paris 2024 Games, carried out this high-precision assembly on the monument, in conjunction with the Centre des Monuments Nationaux and Paris 2024. The work required the use of cranes, drones, and rope access technicians. The Agitos were made in France from 100% recycled steel. Installed 44 metres above the ground on the Arc de Triomphe, each Agitos is seven metres high and three metres wide, and their total span will be 12 metres wide and nine metres high.
"We are immensely proud to see the Arc de Triomphe, a symbol of Paris and France around the world, adorned with the emblem of the Paralympic Games. In addition, the Centre des Monuments Nationaux as a whole is taking part in the Olympic movement, with the Flame being carried through many of its monuments and an ambitious cultural programme echoing the Paris 2024 Games, such as the exceptional exhibition on the history of the Paralympics at the Panthéon, which illustrates the values of inclusion and surpassing oneself." Marie Lavandier, President of the Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN).
"After the Olympic Rings, ArcelorMittal is delighted to have accompanied Paris 2024 in the manufacture and installation of the Paralympic Agitos, symbols of our shared values of inclusion, diversity and surpassing oneself. Manufactured in France by ArcelorMittal teams proud to demonstrate their expertise, these Agitos are made of 100% recycled steel, offering a reduced carbon footprint, in line with Paris 2024's objectives of halving its CO2 emissions." Éric Niedziela, Chairman of ArcelorMittal France.
To buy Paris 2024 Paralympic Games tickets from EUR 15, please visit: https://tickets.paris2024.org/campaign/en/paralympic-games-ticketing
