Paris 2024 Paralympics: Latest Updates and Event Schedule

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are set to be a historic and thrilling event, featuring the world's best Para athletes competing across 22 sports and 549 events from August 28 to September 8, 2024. This edition will be notable for being the first Paralympic Games held in Paris, with events spread across iconic venues such as the Eiffel Tower, the Stade de France, and Roland Garros.

Event Schedule Highlights

The competitions will commence the day after the opening ceremony, on August 29, 2024. Key highlights from the schedule include:

• August 29: The first day will see action in 11 sports, including wheelchair rugby, Para taekwondo, Para archery, boccia, Para table tennis, goalball, wheelchair basketball, Para badminton, Para swimming, sitting volleyball, and Para cycling. Medals will be awarded in Para taekwondo, Para swimming, and Para cycling.
• August 30: Blind football will start at the Eiffel Tower, while wheelchair tennis will begin at Roland Garros.
• August 30 - September 8: Para athletics and Para swimming will take place over 10 days, promising numerous thrilling performances and record-breaking attempts.
• September 7-8: The closing weekend will feature events like Para judo at the Champ de Mars arena and wheelchair fencing at the Grand Palais.

Venues

The games will be hosted at 20 competition venues, including:

• Eiffel Tower: Blind football
• Stade de France: Para athletics
• Roland Garros: Wheelchair tennis
• Paris La Défense Arena: Para swimming
• Château de Versailles: Para equestrian events
• Bercy Arena: Wheelchair basketball
• Porte de La Chapelle Arena: Para badminton

Notable Athletes

Among the standout athletes expected to compete are:

• Markus Rehm: The 'Blade Jumper' from Germany, known for his record-breaking performances in long jump.
• Brazil's Blind Football Team: Undefeated champions since the sport's introduction to the Paralympics in 2004.
• Diede de Groot: Dutch wheelchair tennis player, renowned for her back-to-back calendar Grand Slam wins.

More About the Paralympics

The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, limb deficiency, vision impairment, and intellectual impairment. The games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960, featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then, the Paralympics have grown significantly, with the most recent games in Tokyo 2021 hosting over 4,400 athletes from 162 countries​.

The Paralympics aim to showcase the abilities and achievements of athletes with disabilities, promoting inclusion and challenging stereotypes about disability. The games also serve as a platform for advocating for accessibility and equal opportunities in sports and beyond​