Ready to Cheer on Our Paralympians in Paris? Here’s Your Ultimate Guide to the 2024 Paralympics

The Paralympics, held every four years, showcase the incredible determination and skill of the world’s top athletes living with disabilities. These Games not only highlight exceptional athletic performances but also challenge societal perceptions, encouraging us to rethink disability.

This year, Paris will host the 2024 Paralympic Games, a first for the French capital. Fresh off Australia’s success at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, our Paralympic team is ready to leave their mark.

What Are the Paralympics?

The Paralympics run in tandem with the Olympic Games, featuring thousands of athletes with varying abilities—from physical disabilities to visual and intellectual impairments. These Games shine a spotlight on the world’s most skilled athletes.

Where and When?

The 2024 Paralympic Games will take place in Paris, France, from August 29 to September 8, 2024. With 4,400 athletes from around the globe, this 11-day event will be a spectacle of resilience, skill, and spirit.

Opening and Closing Ceremonies

The Opening Ceremony will be a grand affair, with athletes parading along the iconic Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde. The ceremony kicks off on Thursday, August 29, at 4 am AEST (8 pm Wednesday, Paris time). It’s early for us Aussies, so if you’re not a morning person, you might want to catch the replay later.

The Games close with another spectacular ceremony on September 9, starting at 4 am AEST.

What Sports Will Be Featured?

The 2024 Paralympics will feature 22 sports across 549 events. Australian Paralympians will compete in 17 of these events, including athletics, swimming, and wheelchair basketball, among others.

While many events mirror those at the Olympics, some are unique to the Paralympics, like Para-powerlifting, Boccia, and Goalball. Newer additions like badminton and taekwondo, which debuted in Tokyo 2020, will also be included.

The full list of sports are:

• Athletics
• Badminton
• Blind football
• Boccia
• Goalball
• Archery
• Canoeing
• Road cycling
• Track cycling
• Equestrian
• Judo
• Table tennis
• Taekwondo
• Triathlon
• Shooting
• Sitting volleyball
• Wheelchair basketball
• Wheelchair fencing
• Wheelchair rugby
• Wheelchair tennis

The Australian 2024 Paralympic Team

Australia is sending a powerhouse team to Paris, with 88 athletes across 16 disciplines. Our swimmers and track stars are especially strong, with 30 athletes in swimming and 32 in athletics.

Want to see the full list of Aussie athletes? Check it out here.

Imagining What We Can Do Campaign

Australia’s road to Paris is driven by the “Imagine what we can do” campaign that celebrates the incredible potential of our Paralympians, encouraging the nation to get behind them. Paralympics Australia CEO Catherine Clark hopes this campaign will inspire not only athletes but also the wider community of Australians living with disabilities to get involved in sports.

The campaign features legendary Paralympians like Ruby Storm, Angie Ballard, Curtis McGrath, Jamieson Leeson, and Lin Ma.

The Broader Impact

Participating in sports offers numerous benefits, from social connections to improved physical fitness. It can even increase your lifespan by up to seven years, according to the Australian Sports Federation. For Australians with chronic health issues, increased physical activity could result in up to $1.9 billion in annual health savings, according to Paralympics Australia.

How to Watch the 2024 Paralympics

You can catch all the action on Channel Nine and Stan Sport, just like the 2024 Olympics. The Nine Network has exclusive broadcast rights in Australia, offering over 13 hours of live coverage daily across Channel 9 and 9Gem.

All 549 events will be streamed live on 9Now and Stan Sport, with more than 20 individual sport channels available, along with highlights and minis. Stan Sport will also host “Paralympics Daily,” an exclusive show available from 7:30 am (AEST) each day of the Games.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the Paralympics, the 2024 Paris Games are set to be an extraordinary celebration of human potential. Let’s support our athletes and imagine what we can all achieve together.