PARIS: The 2024 Paris Paralympics ended on Sunday after the Japanese delegation won a total of 41 medals over the 12 days.

A record 175 Japanese Para athletes participated in the Paris Games, winning 14 gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze medals. While the total medal tally fell short of the record high of 52, set at the 2004 Athens Games, the number of gold medals surpassed the 13 at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.

On Sunday, the closing ceremony was held at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, and the Paralympic flag was handed from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Los Angeles will host the next Paralympics in 2028.

The Paris Paralympics featured a total of 549 events in 22 sports under the slogan “Games Wide Open,” the same as the Paris Olympics, which ended on Aug. 11, and brought together about 4,400 athletes from a record 168 countries and regions. The share of female athletes was about 45 pct, the highest ever.

About 90 athletes from Russia, which continues its invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus, an ally of Moscow, joined the Paris Paralympics as neutral athletes.

JIJI Press