The opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Paralympics[1] took place on the evening of 7 September 2016 at the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, starting at 18:30 BRT (21:30 UTC).

[3] Amidst larger financial concerns surrounding the Games, fellow director Flávio Machado affirmed that the ceremony's budget was fiscally responsible and was "enough to do what we wanted to create", adding that "It wasn't a problem and it's not going to be an excuse".

For the conclusion of the countdown, wheelchair stunt performer Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham rode down a ramp, jumping through a large numeral "0" and landing a backflip into an air cushion, which is a reference to Canadian snowboarder Johnny Lyall sliding down a ramp and leaping through a set of Olympic rings in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics opening ceremony.

[8] The first segment of the cultural portion of the ceremony paid tribute to the invention of the wheel, featuring samba circles and performers riding the stage in wheelchairs.

Each team was accompanied by a woman carrying a puzzle piece-shaped sign with the country's name written on in Brazilian Portuguese; the other side of each piece contained photos of the athletes participating in the Games.

In protest of the banning of Russia from the Games over a doping scandal, Belarusian Ministry of Sport official Andrey Fomochkin was seen carrying the flag of Russia while entering the stadium; the flag was confiscated, and Fomochkin's credentials were revoked by the IPC for violating the policy forbidding political protests and gestures.

[10][11][9][6][8] As countries entered, the puzzle pieces were assembled on the stadium floor to create a mosaic of the human heart using the photos.

Nuzman's speech was followed by a speech by IPC president Philip Craven, in which he called upon spectators to "see the true meaning of sport and the true definition of ability", explaining that "in a country which has faced major challenges of late, Paralympians will switch your focus from perceived limitations, to a world full of possibility and endless opportunity.