When do the 2024 Paralympics in Paris begin and what sports are played?

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games came to a close on Sunday, with the United States’ narrow women’s basketball win over France in the final event of the competition ensuring Team USA finished top of the medal table.

We have to wait 18 months for the next bout of Olympic action with the 2026 Winter Olympics, while the next Summer Games in Los Angeles are four years away. However, the Olympic void will soon be filled by the 2024 Summer Paralympics, which are only a matter of days away.

When and where are the 2024 Summer Paralympics?

The 17th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games will take place between Wednesday, August 28 and Sunday, September 8, also in Paris. Since the signing of an agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee in 2001, the winning bidder for the Summer Olympics must also host the Summer Paralympics, which typically take place almost immediately after.

2024 Paralympic sports

Unlike in the 2024 Olympics, all 2024 Paralympic events will be held in and around Paris, including its suburbs. There will be competitions in 549 events across 23 disciplines and 22 sports at the 2024 Paralympic Games. The full list is:

Although the Games officially start on Wednesday, August 28, only the opening ceremony will take place on that day. The sporting action will begin at 8:30am local time (2:30 am ET) on Thursday, August 29, with badminton kicking things off. On Sunday, September 8, the final day of the competition, there will be athletics (specifically marathons), canoeing, powerlifting and wheelchair basketball finals.

Which sports are exclusive to the Paralympics? Boccia, goalball, blind soccer...

While many of the sports also feature in the Olympic Games, there are a few exceptions.

Boccia is a precision sport similar to lawn bowling or curling. From a seated position, athletes have to throw their coloured balls as close as possible to the jack, scoring points depending on the position of the balls.

Goalball is exclusive to athletes with vision impairment. Three players on each team have to try to throw the ball into nine-metre wide goals, while also defending their own goal. The crowd must stay silent, with a bell inside the ball helping players identify where it is on the court.

Blind football (soccer) is also played with an audible ball, with competitors really completely on their sense of sound. Goalkeepers can be sighted or partially sighted, but other players, as in goalball, wear eyeshades to ensure a level playing field.