(AEN) – Immediately following the conclusion of the Olympic Games, Paris is gearing up to host another significant sporting event in less than two weeks.
Starting on Wednesday, thousands of athletes will fight for highly sought-after medals at the Paralympic Games 2024 in the French capital.
The following is what you need to know about the Paris games:
When are the 2024 Paralympic Games?
The Paralympics are scheduled to take place from Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 8.
When and where will the opening ceremony take place?
The games will begin on Wednesday at 8 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT) with a dazzling opening ceremony. This will be the first Paralympic opening ceremony to be held outside of a stadium, like the beginning of the Olympic Games approximately a month ago.
In front of an anticipated 65,000 spectators, athletes will parade down Paris’s renowned Avenue des Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde public square.
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony – Quick Facts
- 4,400 athletes
- 184 delegations
- 65,000 spectators
- More than 300 million viewers
- A parade down Champs-Elysées to Place de La Concorde
- Four stages
- Unique artistic performances
Where will the Paralympics Games take place?
Games will be held at eighteen venues throughout Paris and its suburbs, including:
| Venue | Event(s) |
|---|---|
| Stade de France | Para athletics |
| Roland-Garros Stadium | Wheelchair tennis |
| Chateau de Versailles | Para equestrian |
| Paris La Defense Arena | Para swimming |
| Eiffel Tower Stadium | Blind football |
| Invalides | Para archery |
| Pont Alexandre III | Para triathlon |
| Grand Palais | Wheelchair fencing, para taekwondo |
| Champ de Mars Arena | Para judo, wheelchair rugby |
| Porte de la Chapelle Arena | Para badminton, para powerlifting |
| South Paris Arena | Boccia, para table tennis, goalball |
| Chateauroux Shooting Centre | Shooting |
| North Paris Arena | Sitting volleyball |
| Bercy Arena | Wheelchair basketball |
| Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines Velodrome | Para cycling – track |
| Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium | Para canoe, para rowing |
| Clichy-Sous-Bois | Para cycling – road |
| Saint-Denis to Esplanades des Invalides | Paralympic marathon route |
Which nations will compete in the 2024 Paralympic Games?
There will be representatives from more than 150 nations in Paris.
Numerous nations will be represented by a single athlete, while China, Great Britain (GB), and the United States (USA) will field some of the largest contingents, each with more than 200 participants.
What is the 2024 Paralympics’ athlete count?
The Paralympics 2024 is expected to have over 4,400 athletes from around the world competing in various sports. This event will showcase the incredible talent and determination of para-athletes on a global stage.
What sports are in the Paralympics 2024?
Athletes will compete in 549 medal events distributed among 22 different sports:
- Para archery
- Para athletics
- Para badminton
- Blind football
- Boccia
- Para canoe
- Para cycling
- Para equestrian
- Goalball
- Para judo
- Para powerlifting
- Para rowing
- Para shooting
- Sitting volleyball
- Para swimming
- Para table tennis
- Para taekwondo
- Para triathlon
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair tennis
Which sports are considered to be exclusive to the Paralympics?
Goalball and boccia are the only two Paralympic sports without an Olympic counterpart.
Goalball is a sport played between two goals on an indoor court the size of a volleyball court. Teams of players who are blind or visually handicapped take turns rolling a ball filled with bells in the direction of the goal of the other team while donning eyeshades for fair play. The players on the opposing team serve as goalkeepers.
Players roll or toss leather balls towards a small ball known as a jack as closely as they can in the game of boccia.
Which Paralympic athletes are the most intriguing to watch?
- Gustavo Fernandez (Argentina): Wheelchair tennis
- Shae Graham (Australia): Wheelchair rugby
- Alistair Donohoe (Australia): Para cycling
- Alana Maldonado (Brazil): Para judo
- Patrick Anderson (Canada): Wheelchair basketball
- Claire Taggart (GB): Boccia
- Rachel Choong (GB): Para badminton
- William Ellard (GB): Para swimming
- Avani Lekhara (India): Para shooting
- Sumit Antil (India): Para athletics
- Bebe Vio (Italy): Wheelchair fencing
- Simone Barlaam (Italy): Para swimming
- Sugiura Keiko (Japan): Para cycling
- Amalia Perez (Mexico): Para powerlifting
- Diede de Groot (Netherlands): Wheelchair tennis
- Birgit Skarstein (Norway): Para rowing
- Haider Ali (Pakistan): Para athletics
- Oksana Masters (USA): Para cycling
- Tatyana McFadden (USA): Para athletics
- Jessica Long (USA): Para swimming
Who may earn a spot to compete in the Paralympic Games?
The International Paralympic Committee states that in order for an athlete to compete in the Paralympic Games, they must have “an underlying health condition that leads to a permanent eligible impairment.”
Cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, physical damage, intellectual impairment, blindness, or impaired sight are some of the conditions that might result in impairments.
What classification system is used for athletes?
Athletes are grouped according to how restricted their impairment is or how much it affects their ability to compete in their chosen sport in order to promote fair competition amongst Paralympians.
How To watch the 2024 Paralympic Games?
You can watch the games on the regional stations listed here as well as on the Paralympic YouTube account.
Is it possible to purchase tickets for the 2024 Paralympic Games?
You can purchase tickets for the games on the Paris 2024 ticket website.
