With less than 12 hours before he was due to hit the pool, Brenden Hall valiantly fulfilled his role as an Australian flag-bearer in the parade along the Champs Elysees.
With less than 12 hours before he was due to hit the pool, swimmer Brenden Hall valiantly fulfilled his role as an Australian flag-bearer at the Paralympic Games in Paris in an opening ceremony in which thousands of athletes paraded along the Champs Elysees.
One larger group of performers was dressed in monotonous black suits and danced in sync, representing mainstream society, while the other celebrated the diversity of people with disabilities, as performers using wheelchairs and crutches pulled various moves in colourful outfits. Hall, who is swimming at his fifth Paralympics, will be diving into the pool at 9.30am the next morning for the 400-metre freestyle.
The marathon champion, whose wheelchair was modified with a flagpole holder, told reporters ahead of the ceremony that she was nervous.“As the opening ceremony has gotten closer, I’m like, I have no idea how to do this. This is not in my skill set to wave an enormous flag. I have the set-up ready but I’m still optimistic that Brenden will be doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to actually holding the flag.
“Towns and cities are not designed with people with disabilities in mind, and many projects need to be undertaken or continued to enable greater mobility, full accessibility, to fight against isolation and for equal freedom of movement,” Jolly said.
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