OMEGA kicks off countdown to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with two new ambassadors

OMEGA, the Official Timekeeper of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, hosted a ceremony to mark the start of the countdown to the opening of the Games, attended by two Para-athletes who are new OMEGA sports ambassadors.

One year until the Paralympics! The clock at Port Bourdonnais begins the countdown

　With less than a year to go until the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, OMEGA, the official timekeeper of the Games, held a ceremony to mark the start of the countdown to the games' opening on August 28, 2024.

　The countdown clock, modeled after the logo of the Games, was unveiled at the ceremony. The logo, which is comprised of the Olympic flame and gold medal, which symbolize the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the lips of Marianne, the goddess of the French Republic, digitally displays the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds remaining until the start of the Games. The clock was installed at Port Bourdonnais, near the Eiffel Tower.

　The ceremony was attended by the company's President and CEO, Raynald Aeschlimann, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, and two new OMEGA sports ambassadors: Para-athletes.

　One of the new sports ambassadors is wheelchair fencer Bebe Vio (Beatrice Vio). Vio had been devoted to fencing since childhood, but at the age of 11 she contracted acute meningitis, which forced her to have her forearm and leg amputated. However, despite this, she continued with her rehabilitation without giving in to despair, and has now grown into one of Italy's representative athletes, holding four Paralympic medals, including a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

　Another new sports ambassador is triathlete Alexis Hankinkan, who is still fresh in memory for winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. After suffering a below-knee amputation due to a work-related accident in 2010, Hankinkan found his way into life as a paratriathlete, achieving outstanding results in multiple competitions.

　The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held over 12 days from August 28 to September 8, 2024, and will feature approximately 4,400 top para-athletes competing. We look forward to seeing what kind of drama will unfold in a year's time.