When and where will the Paralympics opening ceremony take place? How many athletes will compete? Al Jazeera has the answers.
Less than two weeks after the Olympic Games ended, Paris will once again be buzzing with a major sporting event.
The 2024 Paralympic Games get underway in the French capital from Wednesday, with thousands of athletes set to compete for coveted medals.
Here’s what you need to know about the game in Paris.
When are the 2024 Paralympics?
The Paralympics will run from Wednesday 28 August to Sunday 8 September.
When and where is the Opening Ceremony held?
The Games will kick off with a glittering opening ceremony on Wednesday at 8pm (1800 GMT). Like the Olympic opening ceremony about a month ago, it will be the first time that a Paralympic opening ceremony has been held outside a stadium.
The athletes will parade down Paris’ landmark Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde in front of an expected crowd of 65,000.
It’s almost here! ✨#Paralympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/7pKbe9x0gf
— Paralympics (@Paralympics) August 27, 2024
Where will the Paralympic events take place?
The matches will be held at 18 venues in and around Paris:
Stade de France: Para-athletics Roland Garros Stadium: Wheelchair tennis Château de Versailles: Para-equestrian Paris-La Défense Arena: Para-swimming Eiffel Tower Stadium: Blind football Les Invalides: Para-archery Pont Alexandre III: Para-triathlon Grand Palais: Wheelchair fencing, Para-taekwondo Champs de Mars Arena: Para-judo, Wheelchair rugby Porte de la Chapelle Arena: Para-badminton, Para-powerlifting Paris South Arena: Boccia, Para-table tennis, Goalball Châteauroux Shooting Centre: Shooting Paris North Arena: Sitting volleyball Bercy Arena: Wheelchair basketball Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome: Para-cycling – track Vert-sur-Marne Maritime Stadium: Para-canoeing, Para-boating Clichy-sous-Bois: Para-cycling – road Paralympic Marathon Route from Saint-Denis to Les Invalides
Check out Al Jazeera’s Olympic venues guide.
Pedestrians walk through the Place de la Concorde, where the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place on Wednesday [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]
Which countries will participate in the 2024 Paralympics?
More than 150 countries will participate in Paris.
China, Great Britain and the United States will send the largest delegations with more than 200 athletes each, while dozens of other countries will be represented by just one athlete each.
How many athletes will take part in the 2024 Paralympics?
More than 4,400 athletes are in Paris for the Olympics.
What sports will be featured at the 2024 Paralympics?
Athletes will compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports:
Para archery, Para athletics, Para badminton, Blind football, Boccia, Para canoeing, Para cycling, Para equestrianism, 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
What sports are unique to the Paralympics?
Goalball and Boccia are the only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic equivalent.
Goalball is played on an indoor court the size of a volleyball court, with a goal at each end. Teams of visually impaired or blind players (wearing eye shades to ensure fairness) take turns rolling a ball containing a bell towards the opposing team’s goal. The defending player acts as the goalkeeper.
In boccia, players try to throw or roll a leather ball as close as possible to a smaller ball called the jack.
Portugal’s Andre Ramos competes against Brazil’s Jose Carlos Chagas de Oliveira in the Boccia Individual BC1 Bronze Medal Match at the Tokyo Paralympics on September 1, 2021. [File: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]
Who are the Paralympic stars to watch?
Gustavo Fernandez (Argentina): Wheelchair tennis Shay Graham (Australia): Wheelchair rugby Alistair Donohoe (Australia): Paracycling Alana Maldonado (Brazil): Para judo Patrick Anderson (Canada): Wheelchair basketball Claire Taggart (Great Britain): Boccia Rachel Chong (Great Britain): Para badminton William Ellard (Great Britain): Para swimming Avani Lekara (India): Para shooting Sumit Antil (India): Para athletics Bebe Vio (Italy): Wheelchair fencing Simone Barlaam (Italy): Para swimming Keiko Sugiura (Japan): Paracycling Amalia Perez (Mexico): Para powerlifting Diede de Groot (Netherlands): Wheelchair tennis Birgit Skarstein (Norway): Para boating Haider Ali (Pakistan): Para athletics Oksana Masters (USA): Paracycling Tatyana McFadden (USA): Para athletics Jessica Long (USA): Para swimming
Who can compete in the Paralympics?
According to the International Paralympic Committee, to compete in the Paralympics, an athlete must have “an underlying medical condition resulting in a permanent disqualification.”
A disability can be caused by cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amputation, physical injury, or intellectual disability, blindness or reduced vision.
How are athletes classified?
To ensure fair competition among Paralympic athletes, athletes are divided into groups according to the level of limitation caused by their impairment and how much their impairment affects their ability to compete in their chosen sport.
French para-athlete Alexis Sanchez (left) talks with a technician at the Ottobock Prosthetics Repair Centre in the Paralympic Village in Saint-Denis ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games. The centre will provide free adjustments and repairs of prosthetics, orthotics and equipment to athletes and spectators during the Games. [Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP]
Where can you watch the 2024 Paralympics?
Al Jazeera will cover the main results and stories from the tournament.
The events can be watched on the Paralympics YouTube channel and on local broadcasters listed here.
Can I still buy tickets for the 2024 Paralympics?
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased via the Paris 2024 ticket website.