Which athletes will be the US flag bearers at the opening of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games?

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games get underway on Wednesday when at 20:00 hours local time (2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT) the route from the Champs-Elysées to Place de la Concorde will be transformed into a sea of color for the start of the official Opening Ceremony.

The parade will involve 184 participating delegations from around the world - including Team USA. Each delegation will be headed by two flag bearers, voted by the Para athletes of each country. Being chosen to carrying the flag at the Games is considered a huge honor. Since the Tokyo 2020 Games, two flag bearers, a man and a women, have represented each delegation instead of one.

Nicky Nieves and Steve Serio, Team USA’s flag bearers

The vote conducted by the US Para Athletes Commission concluded that sitting volleyball player Nicky Nieves and wheelchair basketball player Steve Serio have been elected to lead out the 225-strong Team USA delegation at the opening ceremony on 28 August.

Nicky Nieves was part of the United States sitting volleyball team that picked up the gold medal at the Rio Games in 2016, beating China 3-0 in the final. She missed the chance to defend the title at the Tokyo 2020 Games after contracting Covid-19. She was also a gold medalist at the 2019 Parapan American Games, and won silver medals at the 2014 and 2018 World Championships.

“Sitting basketball opened my eyes to ability. I’ve always been super afraid to have my hand out and it’s funny because everybody knows that I don’t have a hand. You’re in the public eye, there’s no hiding it,” explains Nieves, who was born without a left hand.

In 2018, she founded the non-profit Limitless People organisation with the mission of giving everyone regardless of race, gender, economic status or physical ability a chance to be able to play volleyball, both sitting and standing.

Nicky says she is proud to have been chosen to lead the US delegation out at the 2024 Games: “Being the flag bearer for Team USA means that all my efforts have not been in vain. I can represent the country that made me who I am, with the best American athletes by my side. Thank you to my incredible team for nominating me for this honor and thank you to all the athletes on Team USA.”

Steve Serio: “Wheelchair basketball is a very inclusive wheelchair sport”

Joining her will be a legend of wheelchair basketball, Steve Serio. The 36-year-old New York-born athlete has been an international with the US wheelchair basketball team since 2006 and is one of the most decorated players.

He led Team USA to three consecutive podium finishes - bronze at London 2012, gold at Rio 2016 and gold at Tokyo 2020. On top of that he has won four gold medals at the Parapan American Games (2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019) as well as four world championship medals.

“I’m delighted and honored. I never thought I would experience this in my career,” Serio said.

“I’d like to thank all the athletes on Team USA! I will represent you to the best of my ability and I love you all. The Paralympic movement means a lot to me. Being a Team USA athlete and a Paralympian is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had. I hope my country will be proud of me and I can’t wait to represent you at the Opening Ceremony”.