Paris is set to host the Summer Paralympics for the first time in 2024, marking the second time France has welcomed the Paralympic Games after the 1992 Winter Games in Tignes and Albertville. The event will feature around 4,400 athletes from across the globe competing in 22 sports, drawing crowds in person after the Tokyo 2021 Games were held without spectators.
Key Dates
The Paralympics will kick off with the opening ceremony on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. The first day of competition on Thursday, August 29, will see 22 gold medals awarded. The Games will conclude on Sunday, September 8, with events including wheelchair basketball, Para-powerlifting, Para-canoe, and wheelchair marathons, followed by the closing ceremony at Stade de France.
Opening Ceremony Details
For the first time, the Paralympic opening ceremony will be held outside a stadium. Athletes will parade past iconic Paris landmarks, from the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde, in what is described as a ‘people’s parade’. Spectators can watch for free along the route, with approximately 50,000 expected to attend. The ceremony will feature a blend of music and performances, with a strong focus on inclusivity.
Venues
The Paris 2024 Paralympics will use several prominent venues:
- Stade de France: Athletics
- La Defense Arena: Swimming
- Roland Garros: Wheelchair tennis
- Chateau de Versailles: Para-equestrian events
- Grand Palais: Wheelchair fencing and Para-taekwondo
- Eiffel Tower: Blind football in a specially constructed stadium
- River Seine: Para-triathlon swim leg
How to Watch
In the UK, Channel 4 will broadcast over 1,300 hours of live Paralympic coverage across its main channel, More4, Channel 4 Streaming, and YouTube. BBC Radio 5 Live will provide commentary and updates, with dedicated Paralympics programming airing in the evenings. The BBC Sport website will offer live text commentary and daily reports.
Sports and Events
The Paris Paralympics will feature 22 sports:
- Blind football
- Boccia
- Goalball
- Para-archery
- Para-athletics
- Para-badminton
- Para-canoe
- Para-cycling
- Para-equestrian
- Para-judo
- Para-powerlifting
- Para-rowing
- Para-swimming
- Para-table tennis
- Para-taekwondo
- Para-triathlon
- Shooting Para-sport
- Sitting volleyball
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair tennis
While no new sports have been added, there is an expansion in badminton and taekwondo, and a record number of medal events for women.
Medals and Teams
A total of 549 gold medals will be awarded. The British team, known as ParalympicsGB, will compete in 19 sports with 215 athletes, aiming for a medal count between 100 and 140. Notable competitors include Sarah Storey, aiming for her 18th gold medal, and Alfie Hewett, who hopes to win his first gold.
International Participation
The Games will feature around 4,400 athletes from a record 168 delegations, including three debuting National Paralympic Committees (NPCs): Eritrea, Kiribati, and Kosovo. Athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete as Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) under neutral flags and uniforms, with up to 90 from Russia and eight from Belarus.
Historical Background
The Paralympic movement began in Britain more than a decade before the first official Paralympics in Rome in 1960. Sir Ludwig Guttmann pioneered sports for spinal injury patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, leading to the International Stoke Mandeville Games, which evolved into the Rome 1960 Paralympics.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics promise to be a landmark event in the history of the Games, showcasing the spirit and skill of athletes from around the world.
