Craig Spence, Chief Brand & Communications Officer of International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said Thursday that the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony is the best he's seen and sets the bar for the future Games.

"It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life. That's the seventh Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony I've attended and it's the best by some distance," Spence said at a news conference. "People are dehydrated from last night - it was warm, but it's more from tears of joy. It sets the bar for the coming Games. Overall, it was the most magnificent Opening Ceremony."

Artists perform during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France, Aug. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

Alexander Ekman, Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Opening Ceremony, said, "It's amazing when you can use art as a vehicle for important messages like this, when you can create images that stay in people's minds. Today we are buzzing from human connection. When we all get together for the same cause, it's incredibly beautiful."

John McFall, a Paralympian and astronaut, talked about his evolution since winning a bronze medal in the T42 100 meters race at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, and he thought the athletes showed the world how an amputated person can be successful if he or she never gives up.

"Sixteen years ago I was in Beijing. It was amazing to be back (carrying the Paralympic flag at the Opening Ceremony). What I'm doing is because of the success and legacy of the Paralympic movement," McFall said.

The 33-year-old was selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as the first "parastronaut" in November 2022.

"From losing my leg to competing in Beijing, I learned so much about myself. I am comfortable in my own skin, and that's what the Paralympic movement is about," said McFall, who lost his right leg in a serious motorcycle accident in 2000, when he was 19.

Talking about his work in ESA, he said, "We are looking at whether it's feasible for someone with a physical disability to go to space and be a professional astronaut. Can I meet all the emergency and safety requirements? Understanding if it's possible."

"If I get the opportunity to go to space, it will send an incredibly powerful message to humanity about what we are about," he added.

Spence said the TV audience of the Paris Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony had a peak of 22 million in France.

"It's sport that will change the way you think about yourself and think about others. If it doesn't, come and ask me for a refund. It's a very special sporting event," Spence joked.

Thierry Reboul, Ceremonies Director of the Paris 2024, concluded, "We were extremely happy to show that our ambition for the Paralympics was at the exact same level as the ambition we had for the Olympics."

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