Key events
Matt Bush and Poppy Maskill are interviewed on Channel4 ahead of their flag-bearing duties tonight:
“It’s a massive honour to be a flag-bearer,” says Bush, the taekwondo gold medallist. “The whole system has been awesome, ParalympicsGB have been great and the French have put on a crazy show here.”
Swimmer Maskill is asked about being the most decorated GB athlete of these Games – with five medals (three gold, two silver). “It’s pretty cool,” she says. And on bearing that flag: “It’s pretty amazing”. Finally … what is she most excited about this evening? Pizza.
She’s a cool customer.
Just to point you in the direction of some other sport we’re covering this evening. The Test match has just concluded with Sri Lanka in line for a victory against the odds, while it’s a tall order for Scotland who travel to Portugal in the Nations League tonight. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the men’s US Open final. Who needs the Premier League, eh.
Stage set, calm before storm, insert relevant cliche. (The stadium is a lot fuller now).
Just to let you know that things will get under way from 7pm (BST) and Matt Bush (taekwondo) and Poppy Maskill (swimming) have been named as the ParalympicsGB flagbearers for the closing ceremony. A very proud moment for them and their families.
Here’s a reminder of exactly how the final medal table looks/looked. Nearly 100 golds for China is astonishing. They rule the roost when it comes to the Paralympics.
Some stunning images, here. Check our gallery from the 11th and final day of the Paris Paralympics.
Favourite moment of these Games? Dame Sarah Storey’s incredible sprint finish, at the age of 46, to claim a 19th Paralympic gold, gets the award for me. Other options are available.
“We should be able to see everyone for who they are and not for who we think they are.” – Birgit Skarstein sums it up perfectly as the @Paralympics come to an end. 🔥
What were your favourite moments from Paris 2024? Let us know ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/xP7Yy6nCYr
— Rising Phoenix (@risingphxglobal) September 8, 2024
How about this, then? A fine performance from the Great Britain team; more golds and more total medals than they earned in Tokyo.
Preamble
Hello, good evening and welcome to this live blog, as the curtain comes down on a thoroughly entertaining Paralympic Games. After 12 days in Tokyo three years ago, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have taken place over 11 densely-packed days, meaning we were never short of action. The crowds have been strong in Paris, the viewing figures (in the UK, anyway) have been very healthy indeed and the Paras continue to go from strength to strength.
Tonight will be all about handing over the baton to Los Angeles as they take their turn as hosts in 2028: whether we get Snoop Dogg, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tom Cruise et al like we did for the Olympics closing ceremony last month remains to be seen. I’m sure we’ll get plenty of sparkle, glitz and glamour, plus the usual pomp and circumstance which is de rigueur with these ceremonies.
The closing ceremony will begin at 7pm BST, so do stay tuned. And feel free to drop me an email with your general thoughts on the past 11 days. For now, though, enjoy the Guardian’s main editorial on the Paris Paralympic Games as a whole.
