When and where will the Paralym 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 set to light up again for another mega sporting event.
The Paralympic Games 2024 will be held in the French capital from Wednesday and will see thousands of athletes compete for coveted medals.
Here is what you need to know about the games in Paris:
When are the Paralym 2024?
The Paralym will be held from Wednesday, August 28 to Sunday, September 8.
When and where will the opening ceremony be held?
A glittering opening ceremony, beginning at 8pm local time (18:00 GMT) will kick off the games on Wednesday. It will be the first ever Paralympic opening ceremony to be held outside a stadium, similar to the opening of the Olympic Games about a month ago.
Athletes will parade through Paris’s landmark Avenue des Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde public square in front of an expected 65,000 people.
It’s almost time! ✨#Paralym #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/7pKbe9x0gf
— Paralympic Games (@Paralym) August 27, 2024
Where will the Paralympic events be held?
The 18 venues across Paris and its outskirts that will play host to games are:
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
Take a look at Al Jazeera’s guide to the Olympic venues.
Pedestrians walk by the Place de la Concorde, which will be hosting the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opening ceremony on Wednesday [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]
Which countries will be part of the Paralym 2024?
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 a single athlete each.
How many athletes will participate in the Paralym 2024?
More than 4,400 athletes are gathering in Paris for the games.
What sports are in the Paralym 2024?
Athletes will compete in 549 medal events spread across 22 sports, which are:
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 unique to the Paralym?
Only two Paralympic sports – goalball and boccia – do not have an Olympic equivalent.
Goalball is played on an indoor court the size of a volleyball court, with goals on each end. Teams of visually impaired or blind players (wearing eyeshades to ensure fairness) take turns rolling a ball containing bells towards the opposing side’s goal. The defending team’s players act as goalkeepers.
In boccia, players throw or roll leather balls as close as they can to a small ball called a jack.
Andre Ramos of Portugal competes against Jose Carlos Chagas De Oliveira of Brazil in boccia – Indiual – BC1 bronze medal match at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on September 1, 2021 [File: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]
Who are the biggest Paralympic stars 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 can qualify to compete at the Paralym?
To compete at the Paralym, athletes must have “an underlying health condition that leads to a permanent eligible impairment,” according to the International Paralympic Committee.
Impairments can be caused by either cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, physical injuries or intellectual impairment, blindness or reduced sight.
How are athletes classified?
To ensure fair competition between Paralympians, athletes are grouped by how limited they are by their impairment or how much of an effect it has on their ability to compete in their chosen sport.
French para athlete Alexis Sanchez (left) chats with a technician at the Ottobock prosthetic repair centre in the Paralympic Village in Saint-Denis before the 2024 Paralympic Games. The centre proes free adjustments and repairs of prosthetics, orthotics, and equipment for athletes and attendees during the games [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]
Where to watch the Paralym 2024?
Al Jazeera will report the major results and talking points from the games.
The games can be followed on the Paralympic YouTube channel as well as on regional broadcasters listed here.
Can tickets for the Paralym 2024 still be bought?
Tickets for the games can be bought from the Paris 2024 ticket site.
