London ( CNN ) -- Thousands of athletes and many more spectators have gathered in London Wednesday for the opening of the 2012 Paralympic Games , set to be the biggest ever held . Over the course of the 11-day event , some 4,280 athletes from 165 countries -- more than ever before -- will compete in 21 sports , with more than 500 gold medals up for grabs . The opening ceremony , titled `` Enlightenment , '' features a cast of more than 3,000 adult volunteers , 100 children and more than 100 professional performers , as well as the traditional athletes ' parade . Five-time U.S. Paralympian Scott Danberg has been selected as flag bearer to lead the 227-member U.S. Paralympic Team into the Olympic Stadium , in east London . The Paralympic flame will be carried into the stadium to light the cauldron at the climax of the show . The torch set off on a 24-hour relay Tuesday evening from Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire , the birthplace of the Paralympic movement , and reached London Wednesday morning . Thousands of people lined the streets to see the Paralympic torch relay wend its way through the capital on its way to the Olympic Park . The torchbearers included Paralympians , people who have overcome disability to achieve their goals and local heroes nominated by their communities . The relay route passed many iconic London sites , including Westminster Abbey , London Zoo , Tower Bridge and Abbey Road , where the torchbearers recreated the iconic Beatles album cover shot . The Agitos , the symbol of the Paralympic Games , has replaced the five rings that were suspended from Tower Bridge during the Olympic Games . And excitement levels are again rising in Britain and worldwide , with more than 2.3 million Paralympic tickets sold and huge numbers around the globe expected to watch the events on television and online . `` The Paralympic Games have come home to Britain -- and it will be the biggest Games yet , with more athletes , more countries and more spectators than ever before , '' said Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt . `` The talent , commitment and inspiration of the Torchbearers , and ParalympicsGB , reminds us all what can be achieved when we focus on what people can do , rather than what they ca n't . '' Stoke Mandeville Hospital is seen as the spiritual home of the Games because it was there that German neurologist Dr. Ludwig Guttmann revolutionized the treatment of paraplegics post-World War II , including introducing sport as part of their rehabilitation programs . Read more : History turns full circle at London 2012 Paralympic Games .
The Paralympic opening ceremony takes place Wednesday evening in London . The Paralympic torch relay passed through the capital 's streets on its way to the stadium . The Games are set to be the biggest yet , with some 4,280 athletes taking part . TL;DR