When and where will the Paralympic Games opening ceremony be held? How many athletes will compete? Al Jazeera answers.
Less than two weeks after the curtain fell on the Olympic Games, Paris is preparing to light up again for another mega sporting event.
The 2024 Paralympic Games will be held in the French capital starting this Wednesday, with thousands of athletes competing for the coveted medals.
Here's what you need to know about the games in Paris:
When are the 2024 Paralympic Games?
The Paralympic Games will be held from Wednesday 28 August to Sunday 8 September.
When and where will the opening ceremony be held?
On Wednesday at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT), a spectacular opening ceremony will begin marking the start of the Paralympic Games. It will be the first Paralympic opening ceremony to be held outside a stadium, similar to the opening of the Olympic Games about a month ago.
The athletes will parade down Paris' iconic Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde public square in front of an estimated 65,000 people.
It's almost time! ✨#Paralympic Games #Paris2024 photo.twitter.com/7pKbe9x0gf
— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) August 27, 2024
Where will the Paralympic events take place?
The 18 venues in and around Paris that will host the matches are:
- Stade de France: For athletics
- Roland-Garros Stadium: Wheelchair tennis
- Palace of Versailles: For horse riding
- Paris La Defense Arena: For swimming
- Eiffel Tower Stadium: Football for the blind
- Invalids: Archery for
- Alexander III Bridge: For triathlon
- Grand Palace: Wheelchair fencing, for taekwondo
- Arena of the Champ de Mars: For judo, wheelchair rugby
- Chapel Gate Arena: For badminton, for weightlifting
- South Paris Arena: Boccia, for table tennis, goalball
- Chateauroux Shooting Center: Shooting
- North Paris Arena: Sitting volleyball
- Arena Bercy: Wheelchair basketball
- Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines Velodrome: Cycling for – track
- Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium: For canoe, for rowing
- Clichy-sous-Bois: For cycling – road
- From Saint-Denis to the Esplanades des Invalides: Paralympic marathon route
Check out Al Jazeera's guide to Olympic venues.
Which countries will be participating in the 2024 Paralympic Games?
More than 150 countries will be represented in Paris.
China, Great Britain (GB) and the United States (USA) will field some of the largest contingents, with more than 200 athletes each, while dozens of countries will be represented by just one athlete each.
How many athletes will participate in the 2024 Paralympic Games?
More than 4,400 athletes will gather in Paris for the games.
What sports will be at the 2024 Paralympic Games?
Athletes will compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports, which are:
- Archery for
- For athletics
- For badminton
- Football for the blind
- Boccia
- For canoe
- Paracycling
- For horse riding
- Goalball
- Para-judo
- For weightlifting
- Rowing for disabled people
- Parachute shooting
- Sitting volleyball
- For swimming
- Table tennis for
- For taekwondo
- For triathlon
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair tennis
What sports are exclusive to the Paralympic Games?
Only two Paralympic sports – goalball and boccia – do not have an Olympic equivalent.
Goalball is played on an indoor court about the size of a volleyball court, with goals at each end. Teams of blind or visually impaired players (wearing masks to ensure fairness) take turns throwing a ball containing bells toward the opposing team's goal. Players on the defending team act as goalkeepers.
In boccia, players throw or roll leather balls as close as they can to a small ball called a cue ball.
Who are the biggest Paralympic stars to watch?
- Gustavo Fernandez (Argentina): Wheelchair tennis
- Shae Graham (Australia): Wheelchair Rugby
- Alistair Donohoe (Australia): adaptive cycling
- Alana Maldonado (Brazil): Parajudo
- Patrick Anderson (Canada): wheelchair basketball
- Claire Taggart (GB): Boccia
- Rachel Choong (GB): Para-badminton
- William Ellard (GB): Para swimming
- Avani Lekhara (India): Paratiro
- Sumit Antil (India): Para athletics
- Bebe Vio (Italy): Wheelchair fencing
- Simone Barlaam (Italy): For swimming
- Sugiura Keiko (Japan): Paracycling
- Amalia Perez (Mexico): Para powerlifting
- Diede de Groot (Netherlands): Wheelchair tennis
- Birgit Skarstein (Norway): For rowing
- Haider Ali (Pakistan): Para athletics
- Oksana Masters (USA): Paracycling
- Tatyana McFadden (USA): Para athletics
- Jessica Long (USA): Para swimming
Who can qualify to compete in the Paralympic Games?
To compete in the Paralympic Games, athletes must have “an underlying health condition that leads to a permanent eligible disability,” according to the International Paralympic Committee.
Disabilities can be caused by cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, physical injury or intellectual impairment, blindness or reduced vision.
How are athletes classified?
To ensure fair competition among Paralympic athletes, athletes are grouped according to how limited they are by their disability or how much of an effect it has on their ability to compete in their chosen sport.
Where to watch the 2024 Paralympic Games?
Al Jazeera will report on the main results and talking points from the games.
The Games will be available to watch on the Paralympic YouTube channel as well as on the regional broadcasters listed here.
Can tickets still be purchased for the 2024 Paralympic Games?
Tickets for the matches can be purchased on the Paris 2024 ticketing site.
