One year ago today, table tennis claimed its moment at the centre of the sporting world as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opened with breathtaking ceremony. Four-time Paralympic gold medallist Fabien Lamirault stepped into immortality as one of the final torchbearers to ignite the Paralympic cauldron, whilst eleven table tennis athletes carried their nations’ flags in a powerful demonstration of the sport’s global reach.
As the most successful French athlete in the Paris 2024 delegation, Fabien Lamirault’s selection as torchbearer carried profound significance. The four-time Paralympic champion’s journey to this moment – from promising young player to Paralympic legend – embodied everything the Paralympic movement represents about triumph over adversity and the pursuit of excellence.
When Lamirault helped set the cauldron ablaze, sending flames soaring into the Parisian sky, he wasn’t just lighting a fire – he was illuminating the dreams of countless Para athletes worldwide and announcing that Paralympic sport had never been more prominent or more celebrated.
The sight of eleven Para table tennis players carrying their nations’ flags spoke volumes about the sport’s truly international appeal. Leading the parade was Spain’s Alvaro Valera, competing in his remarkable seventh Paralympic Games. As the holder of Spain’s only Paralympic table tennis gold medal from Sydney 2000, Valera represented the enduring legacy of Paralympic excellence.
Slovakia’s Alena Kanova matched Valera’s longevity, making her own seventh Paralympic appearance whilst carrying her nation’s flag. The 2000 Sydney gold medallist’s presence demonstrated how Paralympic careers can span decades, inspiring generation after generation of athletes.
At the other end of the experience spectrum stood Chinese Taipei’s Chen Po Yen, just 17 years old but already ranked sixth in the world in Men’s Class 11. His rapid rise since entering the scene in 2022 exemplified the sport’s ability to nurture young talent and provide platforms for extraordinary achievement.
For several flag bearers, the opening ceremony marked the realisation of Paralympic dreams years in the making. Indonesia’s Leli Marlina, Romania’s Camelia Ciripan, and Saudi Arabia’s Ghaliah Alanazi all made their Paralympic debuts in the most spectacular fashion possible – leading their nations into the ceremony as flag bearers.
Their presence highlighted table tennis’s role in expanding Paralympic participation globally, bringing new nations and new stories to the world’s biggest stage for Para sport.
As the flames rose above Paris and the Paralympic cauldron burned bright, the stage was set for what would become an extraordinary Paralympic Games for table tennis. The sport’s prominence at the opening ceremony proved to be a perfect preview of the drama, skill, and inspiration that would unfold over the following days of competition.
Fabien Lamirault’s torchbearing moment and the parade of table tennis flag bearers had announced to the world that Paralympic table tennis was ready for its close-up. The athletes had carried their flags with pride; now it was time to compete for Paralympic glory.
Looking back one year later, 28 August 2024 stands as the night when table tennis took centre stage at the Paralympic movement’s grandest occasion. From Lamirault’s historic torchbearing to the diverse group of flag bearers, the opening ceremony perfectly captured both the sport’s rich history and its bright future.
Sometimes opening ceremonies set the tone for everything that follows. Paris 2024 certainly delivered that perfect beginning for Paralympic table tennis.
