Key Points
- The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will run until 9 September.
- More than 4,400 athletes from around the world will compete in 549 medal events.
- 160 Australian athletes will compete across 17 events.
Just a few weeks after , our Paralympic team are gearing up to make their mark on the French capital.
The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, which runs from Thursday 29 August (Australian time) to Sunday 8 September, will be the first time Paris will host the Paralympics.
A record 168 delegations comprising around 4,400 athletes will compete at the Games, while there'll be a record 1983 female athletes, more than double the 988 who competed at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
What happened during the opening ceremony?
On Thursday, athletes paraded along the Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde to start the Paralympic Games with the official opening ceremony.
Athletes from 168 delegations participated in the ceremony, with 30,000 spectators watching from the major public plaza.
French musicians Lucky Love and Christine and the Queens performed, five French Paralympians lit the dazzling yellow cauldron to culminate the torch relay, and International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons told the athletes and spectators he hoped for an "inclusion revolution".
What sports are played at the Paralympics?
included at the Summer Paralympic Games and Australian Paralympians will be competing in 17 events.
While many of the events at the Paralympics are familiar Olympic events, there are some disciplines exclusive to the Paralympic schedule.
Among them are Para-powerlifting, Boccia, and Goalball.
The two newest sports to be given Paralympic status are badminton and taekwondo, which made their debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The Paralympics will included a total of 549 medal events, including 164 in Para-athletics and 141 in Para-swimming, which are the two biggest sports.
Australians to watch at this Olympics
Telaya Blacksmith
Making her Paralympic debut in para-athletics, 16-year-old Warlpiri woman Telaya Blacksmith is set to become Australia’s 16th known Indigenous Paralympian. She currently holds several age records for the 100m, 200m and long jump. Blacksmith is one of four Indigenous athletes competing at the Paralympics for Australia.
Shae Graham
Competing in her second Paralympic Games, Graham was the first woman to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby. The 37-year-old librarian will lead the Australian Steelers in Paris. The Steelers are one of the best wheelchair rugby teams in the world and secured consecutive gold medals in London and Rio before a semi-final defeat against the United States in Tokyo. She is hoping to lead her team to redemption in Paris.
Alistair Donohoe
In his third Paralympic Games, para-cyclist Alistair Donahoe is a five-time track world champion and four-time road world champion. He’s won four Paralympic medals, two silver in Rio and silver and bronze in Tokyo. He is aiming for gold in Paris.
There are 160 Australian athletes competing in the 2024 Paralympic Games.
The countries competing in Paris
As well as athletes from national Paralympic Committees, there will be a Refugee Paralympic Team and Neutral Paralympic Athletes competing at the Games.
Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo are expected to make their Paralympic debuts at these games.
How can I find out what's on, and when?
When is the Paralympics closing ceremony?
The closing ceremony start at 4.30am AEST on Monday 9 September (8.30pm on Sunday, Paris time).
It will start at 4.30am AEST for viewers in Victoria, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, and the ACT, 4am ACST for those in the Northern Territory and South Australia, and 2.30am AWST for Western Australians.
How to watch the Paralympics
Just like the Olympic Games, the Nine Network has the full broadcast rights in Australia for the Paralympic Games.
Each day, over 13 hours of live coverage will be available on free-to-air television across Channel 9 and 9Gem.
