Nicholas Bosman

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Pretoria - South Africans will this evening be treated to the entertaining opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games broadcast live from London.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on SABC 2 at 10pm.

South African blade runner and Paralympic legend Oscar Pistorius will be Team SA's flag bearer during the opening ceremony which will be themed Enlightenment.

Co-Artistic Directors Jenny Sealey and Bradley Hemmings, who have worked together in outdoor theatre for a number of years, promise a spectacular celebration of the inspirational spirit of the Paralympic Games that challenges perceptions of human possibility.

The ceremony will open with a fly past by Aerobility, a British charity that trains people with disabilities to become pilots.

Over the course of the evening, the ceremony will explore the power of ideas, science and creativity, supported by a cast of more than 3 000 adult volunteers, 100 child volunteers and more than 100 professional performers.

Key elements of every Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony will also feature, including the Athletes' Parade, which will happen early on in the show, the raising of the Paralympic Flag, and the lighting of the Paralympic Cauldron.

The London Paralympic Games will come to a close on 9 September.