The Stade de France will be transformed into a huge dancefloor on Sunday night, and 24 French DJs will host the final of the Paralympic Games.
The 4,400 Paralympic athletes who have thrilled us for eleven days will parade through the Stade de France. before the handover from Paris to Los Angeles, the next city to host the Paralympic Games in 2028.
Ellen Keane and Michael Murphy have been selected as Team Ireland’s flagbearers. They will follow in the footsteps of Para cyclist Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal, the Tokyo closing ceremony flagbearers.
Ellen Keane will receive the honour of being one of the flag bearers after a glittering career that has spanned 16 years and five Paralympic Games.
She was Ireland’s youngest ever athlete when she swam in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. At just 13 years old, she competed impressively, placing sixth in the 100m Breaststroke.
At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, she made three finals, her best finish was in the 100m Butterfly final. Rio was Ellen’s third Paralympic Games and saw her make the podium claiming a brilliant bronze medal in the final of the SB8 100m Breaststroke.
She also swam lifetime bests finishing eighth in each of the S9 100m Backstroke and Butterfly finals.
In Tokyo Keane swam to the pinnacle of her sport and eclipsed her 2016 bronze by winning gold in the 100m breaststroke SB8 in a personal best time of 1.19.33.
Michael Murphy will accompany Ellen at the head of the Irish delegation as they parade through the Stade de France.
Paris is Michael’s second Paralympic Games, having represented Ireland at Tokyo in 2021 on ‘Clever Boy’ (aka ‘Charlie’). In 2022 he became the first equestrian rider representing Ireland to win a medal in Para equestrian dressage at the world championships.
He claimed bronze in both the grade I individual championship test and the grade I individual freestyle at the 2022 edition of the tournament in Herning, Denmark. Murphy was a torch bearer on the relay from Harrow to Haringey in England ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
This ceremony will be a final opportunity to celebrate the Paralympic athletes and their performances in what is sure to be an unforgettable event shared between athletes and supporters.
RTÉ will close its coverage of Paris 2024 with live coverage from the arena.
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