The Pantheon is home to the nation's great men and women, who have contributed to its history and progress. At the time of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the monument wishes to tell the story of special athletes, who have also contributed to the progress of society.
From June 11 to September 29, 2024, the Panthéon is hosting the exhibition Histoires paralympiques. From sporting integration to social inclusion (1948-2024). Through photographs, posters, audiovisual documents, archives, sports objects and equipment, the Panthéon tells the story of the evolution of Paralympic sport, and the impact these athletes have had on the inclusion and image of disabled people in society.
The exhibition is divided into four chronological chapters, demonstrating the long process of integrating athletes and their disabilities.
The journey begins in 1948, after the war: games are organized in an English hospital, to promote rehabilitative sport for the sick, wounded and maimed. These fields days multiplied and gradually became international. In 1955, the "Rhine and Danube" veterans from France took part. In 1960, several disabled athletes took part in the "Stoke Games", which were reserved for wheelchair users.
The Para-Olympic Games appeared and developed from 1960 to 1989. With each successive edition, the criteria for participation broadened: the blind and visually impaired could join amputees, and then it was the turn of people with cerebral palsy.
From the 1990s to the early 2010s, the Paralympic Games became increasingly popular. Sports federations opened up to all forms of disability, whether physical or mental. New technologies, records and broadcasts changed the public's view of disabled people. Their exploits and the innovations invented to enable them to push back their limits make them "hybrid supermen".
The latest editions of the Paralympic Games have takeninclusion and the spotlight on these athletes even further. Para-sports" are multiplying, disabilities and impairments are being accepted in many disciplines, and special athletes are breaking down barriers and prejudices. Derivative products and advertising media for these Games showcase athletes with a wide range of abilities.
Acceptance, evolution, adaptation: since the 20th century, disabled people have found a new, more valued place in society, thanks in particular to sportsmen and women who have trivialized the image of these differences.
A fascinating exhibition to discover at the Panthéon this summer!
Dates and Opening Time
From June 11, 2024 to September 29, 2024
Location
The Pantheon
Place du Panthéon
75005 Paris 5
Access
Metro: Luxembourg / Cardinal Lemoine / Maubert Mutualité
Prices
Moins de 26 ans: Free
Plein tarif: €11.5
Official website
www.paris-pantheon.fr
