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Opening Ceremony: What You Need to Know About the Paris Games

Vaseline August 28, 2024

The torch has arrived in Paris, final preparations for the opening ceremony are being completed and the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris are about to begin.

The Games will take place in Paris, just over two weeks after the conclusion of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This will be the first time that the Summer Games will be held in France. The Games will take place in many of the same venues that hosted the Olympic Games, while other venues will be converted for the Paralympic Games. For example, the site of the Eiffel Tower Stadium, which hosted beach volleyball matches during the Olympics, has now been converted into a venue for the Paralympic blind football competition.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris:

When do the 2024 Paralympic Games start in Paris?

The 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris begin on Wednesday, August 28 with the Opening Ceremony and last until Sunday, September 8.

The opening ceremony will take place along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris and will end at the Place de la Concorde. Paralympic athletes will parade along the route. It is the first time in Paralympic history that the opening ceremony will be held outside a stadium.

What you need to know about the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

The Games will feature approximately 4,400 athletes from around the world, competing in 549 medal events across 22 different sports. Many of the events will be held at the same venues that hosted the athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. For example, wheelchair basketball will take place at the Bercy Arena, the venue for the men’s and women’s basketball competitions at the Paris Olympics.

The medals also resemble those from the Paris 2024 Olympics, complete with a piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower. They are also designed to be distinguished by touch and feature engraving and Braille.

These are the first Summer Paralympics to be held in France. The event has already led to positive changes in terms of accessibility, with the city of Paris making changes to make public transport more accessible.

Which sports will be played at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris?

Para archery
Para Athletics
For Badminton
Blind Football (soccer)
Boccia
Para canoe
Para-cycling
Para-equestrian sport
Goal ball
For Judo
Para-powerlifting
Para rowing
Shooting Parasport
Seated volleyball
Para swimming
Para Table Tennis
For Taekwondo
Para-triathlon
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair screens
Wheelchair rugby
Wheelchair tennis

How to watch the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games will be broadcast across NBC networks, while many events will take place on USA Network and CNBC.

The Paralympics can also be streamed on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, the official Paralympics YouTube channel and the International Paralympic Committee website.

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