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Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera Staff

All to know about Paralympic Games Paris 2024: Schedule, events, venues

Paris Paralympic Paralympic Games the Paralympic Games Al Jazeera Paralympics (Event) Dimitar Dilkoff Tennis GB (Geopolitical Entity) United States

The Paralympic Games 2024 will be held at 22 venues in Paris and its outskirts from August 28 to September 8 [File: David J Phillip/AP]

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 Paralympics 2024?

The Paralympics 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! ✨#Paralympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/7pKbe9x0gf

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) 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 Paralympics 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 Paralympics 2024?

More than 4,400 athletes are gathering in Paris for the games.

What sports are in the Paralympics 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 Paralympics?

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 – Individual – BC1 bronze medal match at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on September 1, 2021 [File: Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]

Who can qualify to compete at the Paralympics?

To compete at the Paralympics, 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.