Royals congratulate Duth paralympic athletes for 56 medals won at Paris Games
The 17th edition of the Paralympic Summer Games ended in Paris on Sunday. The Netherlands ended in fourth place with 56 medals, including 27 gold, won by Dutch athletes. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima congratulated the medal winners.
“TeamNL brings back an incredible number of medals from the Paralympic Games in Paris. 27 gold, 17 silver, and 12 bronze! You have made the Netherlands cheer! It is an honor to receive the medal winners on Tuesday at Noordeinde Palace,” the Dutch King and Queen said in a statement released by the Koninklijk Huis.
The sporting event came to an end just after 10:00 p.m. with the extinguishing of the Paralympic flame at the Jardin des Tuileries, the gardens of the Louvre, NOS reports. A big party followed despite the occasional heavy rain. Wheelchair tennis player Diede de Groot and visually impaired cyclist Tristan Bangma carried the Dutch flag during the flag parade.
Like at the previous Paralympic Games, China ended in first place on the medal ranking with 94 gold medals. Great Britain followed with 49 and the United States with 36. In Tokyo three years ago, the Netherlands ended in fifth place after Russia. Russia did not compete this year because of its invasion of Ukraine. The host country finished in eighth place.
The organizers announced that 2.4 million of the available 2.8 million tickets for the Paralympic Games in Paris were sold, making it the second best-attended edition after London in 2012. Then, 2.7 million tickets were sold.
