The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games was held in Paris. French athlete Aurelia Ober, surrounded by other athletes, put out the Paralympic flame.
The ceremony took place at the Stade de France stadium. It was attended by about 4,400 athletes and 168 delegations. They were addressed by Tony Estange, head of the organizing committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"This summer, France had a meeting with history and the country showed itself. This is the summer in which people talked to each other, this is the summer in which France was happy," Estanger said. According to AFP, in doing so he alluded to the "deep division" in France after the early elections, which were held weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo presented the Paralympic flag to International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons. The latter handed over the flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The next games are scheduled to be held in this American city.
The Paralympic Games were held in Paris from August 28. China (94 gold, 76 silver and 50 bronze medals), Great Britain (49, 44, 31) and the USA (36, 42, 27) were the leaders in the medal standings. | BGNES
