On August 28, Place de la Concorde will come alive with the rhythm of the Paralympic Games opening ceremony. Held in France for the first time, these Games will gather 4,400 athletes, including 1,859 women, from August 28 to September 8. Over 500,000 tickets have been sold for these Paralympic Games, a record number.
After the closing of the Olympic Games, the flame will return for the Paralympic Games in August 2024. Lit in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, the historical cradle of the Paralympic movement, it will cross the English Channel to reach Paris.
There will be 549 events, some of which will take place in exceptional settings, such as Les Invalides for para-archery, the Eiffel Tower for blind football, Champ de Mars for para judo and wheelchair rugby, and the gardens of the Château de Versailles for para-equestrian. Para-badminton and para-powerlifting will be hosted at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will feature 23 disciplines, including two unique Paralympic sports: boccia and goalball.
The name “boccia” comes from the Italian word for “ball.” Often compared to pétanque, boccia is played indoors and requires athletes to have precision and agility. Each player must throw or roll six balls as close as possible to a white ball, the “Jack,” like the cochonnet in pétanque. Matches are played in four or six rounds, individually, in pairs, or teams of three.
This discipline is practiced by athletes with severe motor and/or cerebral impairments. BC3 category players who have impairments in all four limbs can use a launching ramp, a pointer helmet, and a sports assistant who must face away from the match and only execute commands. Boccia events will be held individually and in mixed teams at Arena Paris Sud 1 from August 29 to September 5, 2024.
Goalball, on the other hand, is a team sport created for visually impaired, partially sighted, or blind individuals. Athletes are not classified by category and must all wear eye masks to ensure fair play.
Two teams of three players (plus three substitutes) compete on a court measuring 18 meters by 9 meters. The attacking team forcefully bounces a large rigid ball towards the opposing side, which must prevent the ball from crossing the goal line by diving to stop it. This ball, filled with bells, emits sounds that help players track and anticipate its movement. For players to focus, this sport requires complete silence from spectators. Tactile markers are also present on the floor to help players navigate the defense zone.
Matches, which require sustained physical effort, are played in two 12-minute halves. The team with the highest score at the end of the time wins, or the team that scores ten more goals than the opponent, regardless of the remaining time. Men’s and women’s goalball tournaments will be held at Arena Paris Sud 6 from August 29 to September 5, 2024.
As nearly 350,000 visitors with disabilities are expected in Paris for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the city is enhancing its accessibility, particularly at the Olympic venues. Competition and training sites are equipped for people with reduced mobility in collaboration with specialized associations (such as the Georges-Vallerey swimming pool). Paris has also expanded its bus accessibility. After two years of work, 1,750 bus stops are now accessible in the capital, covering 59 of the 61 bus lines.
The City of Paris supports 50 athletes and para-athletes in their preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. You can find our profile of Cédric Nankin, co-captain of the French wheelchair rugby team, who is supported by the city.
Key Figures:
11. This is the number of competition days at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
182. This is the number of nations participating in these Paralympic Games, with 4,400 athletes, including at least 1,859 women.
350,000. This is the approximate number of visitors with disabilities expected to be welcomed in Paris for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.
