The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games kicked off on August 28 with a spectacular opening ceremony. This is the first time that the elite ceremony has been held outside a stadium on the Place de la Concorde. Para athletes from 168 delegations paraded around Paris’ largest square, which was followed by two French Para athletes taking the Paralympic Oath.

The magnificent ceremony was directed by Thomas Jolly and Alexander Ekman with a theme around the human body and “history and its paradoxes”. The event brought together 500 artists, including 140+ dancers and 16 performers with disabilities. Many notable figures from around the world attended the Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony to support and motivate athletes. The ceremony ended with an enthusiastic festive illustration of concord and a message of hope.

In this blog, we are going to discuss everything you should know about the what are the games conducted in Paralympic Games 2024 Paris.

So, let us get started:

What are the Paralympics Games

The Paralympic Games is the largest international sports competition for disabled athletes. There are Summer Paralympics Games and Winter Paralympics Games, which take place alternately every two years. Paralympics are scheduled shortly after the Olympic games in the same host city. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) governs the Paralympic Games.

Athletes participating in the Winter Games compete in five allowable impairment categories:

• Amputee
• Cerebral palsy
• Visual impairment
• Spinal cord injuries,

• Les Autres

The Summer Games include an additional sixth category, that is, intellectual disability. These categories are further divided into subcategories.

And, like all previous games, the 2024 Summer Paralympics Games are going to be exciting and inspiring to the world.

History of Paralympics Games

The term “Paralympic” comes from the Greek words “para” (beside or alongside) and “Olympic,” meaning Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics.

Originally, the Paralympics (named as the Stoke Mandeville Games) started in 1948 as a small gathering of British World War II veterans. The Stoke Mandeville Games later became the Paralympic Games, which first took place in 1960 in Rome, Italy. The 1960 games drew 400 athletes from 23 nations worldwide. In September 1089, the IPC was founded as an international non-profit committee in Dusseldorf, Germany.

2024 Summer Paralympics Games Paris: Quick Details 

• It is the 17th Summer Paralympic Games.
• Location: Paris, France
• Stadium: Place de la Concorde (Opening ceremony), Stade de France (Closing ceremony
• Schedule: From August 28 to September 8, 2024
• Athletes: 4,400
• Events: 549 in 22 sports

Interesting fact: Paris 2024 Paralympics is the first Olympics in history to have numerical gender parity. It will have an equal number of male and female athletes participating from all around the world.

The Paralympic Village

The Paralympic Village houses athletes during the Paris Paralympics 2024 Games. Designed to reflect Paris 2024’s exemplary environment, the Village provides excellent services to athletes.

All roads, sidewalks, and access points are fully accessible to athletes. With “no steps” residence areas and apartments, spacious restrooms, and showers with chairs, the Village is 100% accessible to para-athletes.

Interestingly, the Village Dining Hall prepares 25,000 meals every day with options including Asian, Italian, French, and many more. Also, there are many places where athletes can relax and socialize.

Going Viral on Social Media

The IPC has managed to draw huge attention via social media by posting highly engaging and humorous Paralympic sports. With relaxing social guidelines by the official Paralympics, athletes are showing their inner workings of the games. They are taking to social media to raise the profession about parasports, with a more laid-back and humorous feel.

In the last couple of months, @Europaralympic accounts have hit above 80 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. In July, @ Europaralympic TikTok account reached more than 4 million followers, making it one of the most popular sports accounts.

If you are also interested in visiting Paris to see the Paralympics, you can participate in a sports conference to be held in the capital city. The conference organizer can provide you with an invitation letter to join the event. This should make it easier to get a visa to the sports conference and watch the Paralympics.

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Sports – Medal Ceremony Schedule

The paralympic Summer Games will showcase 23 sports, including both team and individual sports. In this section, you will learn about each of these sport’s medal ceremony schedule

Event	29 Thu	30 Fri	31 Sat	1 Sun	2 Mon	3 Tue	4 Wed	5 Thu	6 Fri	7 Sat	8 Sun
Blind Football
Boccia
Goalball
Para Archery
Para Athletics
Para Badminton
Para Canoe
Para Cycling Road
Para Cycling Track
Para Equestrian
Para Judo
Para Powerlifiting
Para Rowing
Para Swimming
Para Table Tennis
Para Taekwondo
Para Triatholn
Shooting Para Sport
Sitting Volleyball
Wheelchair Basketball
Wheelchair Fencing
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair Tennis

1. Para archery: Up to 140 of the world’s top Para Archery athletes will shoot for the podium at the Invalides.
2. Para-athletics: The largest sport on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games program in terms of the number of athletes (up to 069 athletes) and across 164 medal events, including 100m races and marathons.
3. Para badminton: This fast-paced racquet sport will see 120 athletes competing in 16 medal events.
4. Blind football: Adapted for athletes with a vision impairment, the games will have eight teams – Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, France, China, Japan, Colombia and Turkiye.
5. Boccia: It is one of the two sports without an Olympic counterpart. In the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Boccia will have 124 athletes competing across 11 medal events.
6. Para canoe is the fierce battle of the fastest paddlers on flat water. Up to 100 fastest paddlers showcase their strength and determination as they battle on the flat water.
7. Para-cycling: Athletes from around the world will participate in two disciplines in Para-cycling: road and track.
8. Para equestrian: The only artistic sport at the Paralympic Games. Athletes and horses compete in complete harmony.
9. Goalball: Another sport without an Olympic counterpart. Eight teams of athletes with vision impairment, each in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, will compete.
10. Paralympic judo: Up to 148 athletes with vision impairments will compete in 16 medal events.
11. Para powerlifting: Testing the upper body strength, the sport will be played by 180 athletes.
12. Para rowing: Up to 104 athletes will propel across 2,000 meters on a boat using oars in five medal events.
13. Shooting para-sport: Up to 160 athletes will play at 13 medal events.
14. Sitting volleyball: Eight men’s and eight women’s teams will compete for medals.
15. Para swimming: More than 600 athletes will compete across 141 medal events.
16. Para table tennis: Around 280 athletes will compete for 31 gold medals.
17. Para taekwondo: Up to 120 athletes will compete in 10 medal events.
18. Para triathlon: Up to 120 athletes will compete in 11 medal events in this sport that require strength, endurance, and trusted teamwork.
19. Wheelchair basketball: Eight men’s and eight women’s national teams will compete in this game.
20. Wheelchair fencing: Around 96 athletes will compete in 16 medal events.
21. Wheelchair rugby: Eight teams, including France, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and the USA, will compete.
22. Wheelchair tennis: Ninety-six athletes will compete in six medal events.

FAQs

How many Paralympic venues are there in Paris in 2024?

Total 18 of the 35 Olympic venues are being used for the 2024 Summer Paris Paralympics, including the Grand Palais, Eiffel Tower Stadium, Les Invalides, and Grand Palais to name a few.

Which country has the most Paralympic medals?

On the basis of gold medals won, China led the Paralympics field with 96 golds, followed by Great Britain with 41 and the United States with 37 golds.

Who is the greatest Paralympic athlete?

Swimmer Trischa Zorn-Hudson is the most decorated Paralympian athlete, having won 44 medals, including 41 gold medals. Blind from birth, Zorn first competed in the Paralympics in 1980.

What is the anthem of the Paralympics?

“Hymne de l’Avenir” or “Anthem of the Future” composed by Thierry Darnis.