Paris 2024 Paralympics : at the South Paris Arena, the Games feel like they've never stopped

On the first day of competition, the South Paris Arena was buzzing to the rhythm of the Para table tennis, Goalball and Boccia games. All it took was a quick look around to see that the fervor experienced at the Olympic Games was once again on display at the Paralympic Games! Report.

Just 18 days ago, France's extraordinary Olympic Games came to a close. And many of the 64 medals won by the French delegation were won at the South Paris Arena (handball, volleyball, table tennis)! On this Wednesday, August 29, while our Olympics.com reporter is still walking outside the various pavilions but the fervor can already be heard! Are the Lebrun brothers back on track? Is the French volleyball team winning another Olympic title? No it's not! Today, it's the French Goalball, Boccia and Para table tennis teams who are unleashing the crowds.

2:09pm - Warming up with Boccia

A hushed atmosphere reigns in Pavilion 1 as the eight Boccia courts are taken over by the Para athletes. Among them, Jules Menard (taking part in his first Paralympic Games) catches the attention. Yes, he's the only Frenchman competing in the early afternoon. The BC3 category competitor is taking advantage of the situation to experience some unforgettable moments. In a duel with the Greek Grigorios Polychronidis, he benefited from the support of his most loyal supporters, located just a few meters from him at the bottom of the grandstand. Not a bad start to his Paralympic adventure, is it?

“Come on!”. The South Paris 1 Arena looks like Roland Garros, alternating between silence (to let the players concentrate) and loud cheers. The South Koreans are just as valiant at this game, supporting their representative Howon Jeong, the world star of the discipline (3 Paralympic gold medals to his credit). On the next pitch, the staff and fans of Brazilian Mateus Carvalho are cheering too! Their representative has just taken the lead in a tight match against Japan's Arita. As you can imagine, in this arena dedicated to a unique sport (Boccia has no Olympic equivalent), the atmosphere is friendly and supportive of the Para athletes. Faycal Meguenni is sure to agree! “The huge support from the crowd was a big surprise for me. We're not used to this kind of atmosphere at Boccia matches. I was a bit scared at first when I entered the pitch”. However, the 27-year-old Frenchman took advantage of the situation to push his opponent to the limit with an almost winning comeback.

2:39pm - Goalball has already conquered France

As host nation of these Games, France took advantage of its status to qualify its men's and women's teams for the first time in its history. Despite a clear lack of experience, the French women showed their worth in their first match against Canada. For the occasion, Pavilion 6 was packed to the rafters to cheer on Anthony Puaud's players. And the atmosphere was on fire, thanks to a boiling hot fans' square! And there was even an “ola” in the stands! There's no doubt about it, the fervor of the Paris 2024 Games is well and truly back at the first meetings of these Paralympic Games. Perhaps even a little too much at times for a sport that requires silence when the ball is in play. Even if the referee had to call for silence more than necessary, the French players took great pleasure in playing in front of their fans, despite the 10-0 defeat by the unstoppable Canadians. Just look at Coralie Gonzalez, captain of Les Bleues, who set the mood by haranguing the crowd with her arms at every time-out.

In the stands, spectators are delighted and of varied profiles! Young and old alike have come to experience the Paris 2024 Games with this Goalball discipline, which has no Olympic equivalent. The way the match was going, we quickly began to hope that Les Bleues would score their first goal, to exult quite simply! Although it never came, it was with huge smiles that the French players took a final lap of honour to make the most of the festive atmosphere. Each grandstand had its own “ola”! And now the Canadian girls are joining in the fun. What beautiful images...

4:37pm - “Are we going to see French players there or not?”

With less than 30 minutes to go before the start of a new session of Para table tennis, thousands of people are already waiting on the outskirts of pavilion 4: “Are we going to see French players there or not?" For some, it's the unknown! But it doesn't matter if there will be or not. Here, people have come to enjoy a second dose of the Games! To celebrate the occasion, many have chosen a very specific dress code: blue, white and red paint on the face, a blue jersey of a French team (soccer, rugby, handball...), but above all a huge smile to translate all the joy felt at being here. It's also clear that the youngest visitors are taking advantage of the last few days of the summer vacations to experience Paris 2024 for themselves. It doesn't matter if the Slovenians and Spaniards are playing overtime in their men's doubles quarter-final, the public here is waiting in good spirits and under a beautiful sun. The excitement of being there has overcome the impatience, helped by the good mood spread by the volunteers and officials who keep everyone passing the time.

5:02pm - Les Bleus take advantage of it

Here we are in Pavilion 4 to follow the Para table tennis session. Once again, on the Lebrun brothers' home ground, the show is complete. First and foremost, it's auditory, with the music flooding our ears. But also visually, with a breathtaking light show! Six fields are laid out before the eyes of the public, who are now filling the stands. Just in time for the opening three strokes and the thunderous applause as the pairing of Matéo Boheas and Morgen Caillaud take on Egypt. Too bad for the competitors who will have to play on the other tables. The grandstands only vibrate for the two Frenchies!

And by the time the first shots are fired, the stands are almost full! It's time for another emotional session! Some are already drunk with love, like this young supporter who shouts “ I love you Phryge!” as the Games mascot walks past at the bottom of the grandstand. On the court, the French pair is unstoppable. One, two then three sets and victory in fifteen minutes! The crowd goes wild, clapping its hands and feet to make as much noise as possible (our ears will tell you that it's more than a success...).

As you can see from these lines, the fervour of the Games has never died down here either, despite the two-week break!

5:28pm - Goalball's Les Bleus thrill the Brazilians

We've barely had time to make our way to Pavilion 6 when the match between France and Brazil in the men's Goalball tournament kicks off in a fiery atmosphere! Once again, it's hard to keep quiet! The decibels fly for this unbalanced match (on paper) against South Americans who remain on three podiums in a row, including a Paralympic title in Tokyo. The first exchanges were tight, but in Goalball everyone knows that the slightest mistake is fatal. And that error will come from the Brazilians! Like a single man, the crowd rose to its feet and roared when Elias Ouni scored the opening goal! Unfortunately, Brazil cooled the mood with an equaliser. Now it's the turn of the many fans dressed in yellow and green to raise their voices. Throughout the first half, the two sides gave each other a run for their money. Each goal, each save, brought incredible emotions! Silent during the exchanges, the fans let their joy explode as soon as they could. At half-time, a score of 5-4 in favor of Brazil augured well for the future of the French team. The second half was more complicated, but better managed by the experienced Brazilians, who broke the deadlock to win 8-5.

Players caught up in the atmosphere

Like their female counterparts, Les Bleus are making the most of the crowd to forge their own Paralympic history. Ambroise Daudin and Thomas Ramos-Martins testify: “It was huge! We'd like to thank the whole crowd. It really carried us! It was incredible, but we knew that a little beforehand because the ticket office was full. But you never know how the audience is going to react. We were especially worried about the sound issue, that the noise would be invasive and that we'd find it hard to get our heads around the communication, but in the end it was perfect!” explains the first-mentioned. The second, a substitute at the start of the match, was very cooperative with the crowd, urging them to raise their voices at every opportunity: “On the pitch there were three of us, but tonight we felt like four with this magnificent crowd. It's very powerful to experience... Our only chance is to be one more, with the crowd. Yes, we were expecting something crazy, but not this crazy. It's unimaginable what's just happened...”.

8:30 p.m. - Sonia Heckel's masterclass

What better way to round off the first day of the Paralympic Games than with a return to Pavilion 1 at the South Paris Arena. On this evening, one of the leading figures in French boccia, two-time European champion Sonia Heckel, is the main attraction. Here, too, the flags are out: Portugal, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Poland, Peru and, of course, France! The atmosphere may be more relaxed than at Goalball, but Sonia Heckel's fans do their utmost to raise the temperature. “ Go Sonia, your supporters are here!”, “and for Sonia go, go!”, all the classics of French supporterism are taken up by these unstoppable fans who participated in their protégée's final victory (6 to 1). After a timid start to the match, the Frenchwoman stepped up a gear to win and round off a magnificent day for French Paralympic sport!

We're already looking forward to tomorrow!