Paris 2024 Paralympics: An Overview
The celebration of athletic prowess unfolds as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games kick off with an opening ceremony on Wednesday night, witnessing the participation of the world's finest differently abled athletes.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics are scheduled to begin on the 28th of August, with the opening ceremony starting at 11.30 PM IST. Accolades in sports like para cycling, blind judo, and more will be fought over in about 549 events encompassing 22 sports, three of which have been newly introduced. Indian athletes will be participating in 12 of these sports.
The global sporting event is marked by participation from 167 countries, including teams of Neutral Paralympic athletes and the Refugee Paralympic team. India's contingent, the largest ever, comprises of 84 para-athletes, consisting of notable names like javelin thrower Sumit Antil and shot putter Bhagyashri Jadhav, who will be carrying the Indian flag at the opening ceremony.
The classification of athletes is based on their level of physical impairment, segregated into 'sport classes.' There are more than 50 Sport Classes in Para Athletics due to the different disciplines. For instance, only one Sport Class exists for Para powerlifting.
The Paralympics daily schedule spreads from approximately 11 AM IST, stretching past midnight on each competition day. Major medal events in India will be scheduled during the evening. The closing ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris is decided for September 9.
