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The 2024 Paralympic Games begins with the opening ceremony in Paris on Wednesday Aug 28, and 549 gold medals are up for grabs during the 11 days of the event.
ParalympicsGB will hope to build on their success after making history at Tokyo 2020. The team won medals in 18 sports – the most of any nation ever – and finished second in the table, behind China, with 124 medals in total. You can also read our guide to the 25 British athletes to watch.
In the schedule guide below all times are in British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour behind French time.
Must-watch events
Boccia
10:40am-1:00pm: men’s and women’s individual, BC1 BC2 and BC4 pools
Kick off your Paralympics viewing with a nail-biting game of boccia – one of two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympics counterpart, the other one is goalball. Great Britain’s Claire Taggart, world No 1 for the entirety of 2023, will be hoping for a strong start, alongside Paralympics debutant and Kayleigh Haggo.
Para cycling track
11am-11:19am: women’s 500m time trial, C4-5 qualifier
2:45pm-3:12pm: women’s 500m time trial, C4-5 final
ParalympicsGB royalty Kadeena Cox will look to add a seventh medal to her collection on the first day of the competition. If gold is your main currency, tune in for the women’s Para cycling track time trial final at 2:50pm, after which the first Paris 2024 champion will be crowned.
Para swimming
5:35pm-5:42pm: men’s 100m butterfly, S14 final
7:38pm-7:49pm: women’s 200m freestyle, S5 final
Medals are up for grabs for at the pool on the first day of the Games; with freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke on the programme. Italian swimming sensation Simona Barlaam, who won four medals at his first Paralympic Games in 2021, is sure to get the crowds at Paris La Defense Arena on their feet. British swimmers such as Toni Shaw and William Ellard will hope to kickstart their games with a spot on the podium.
Brits to watch
David Smith
Britain’s most successful boccia player of all time, David Smith, 35, has a chance to add a sixth medal to his Paralympic collection at his fifth Games. The Briton made his Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, in the gold medal-winning boccia team. Smith’s dominance in the BC1 category has continued – at Rio 2016 he won the individual gold and in 2018 he cemented his status as the best player at the World Championships in Liverpool.
Classification to understand
BC1-4
Boccia is split into four classes. BC1 and BC3 athletes may have assistance, while BC2 and BC4 athletes compete independently.
BC1 players are typically dependent on powered wheelchairs and may throw the ball with their hands or feet, while BC3 competitors can use a ramp to deliver the ball – and both may compete with an assistant.
Sports assistants for BC1 players are positioned behind the playing area and intervene at the players’ request but assistants for BC3 players keep their backs to the game and are only present to carry out players’ commands.
Must-watch events
Para swimming
9:36am-9:54am: women’s 400m freestyle, S11 heats
Blind twins Scarlett and Eliza Humphrey will make their Paralympics debuts in Paris. Representing ParalympicsGB in the S11 category for blind or nearly blind swimmers, they and their competitors will wear blacked-out goggles to ensure fairness. The pair made history in Madeira in June 2022 when they became the first twins to compete for Great Britain at the World Para Swimming Championships.
Para cycling track
1:57pm-2:22pm: men’s 1,000m time trial, C4-5 final
ParalympicsGB veteran Jody Cundy is Paris for his eighth Games and will compete in the C4-5 1,000m time trial, alongside British newcomers Blaine Hunt and Archie Atkinson. Cundy will look to add a 13th Paralympics medal to his impressive record medal haul in swimming and cycling events. However, the trio will face fierce competition from Spain’s Alfonso Cabello, who clinched gold and set a new world record at Tokyo 2020.
Para athletics
6:30pm-6:37pm: men’s 100m, T47 final
Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira, an icon of Para sprinting, will hope to retain his world title at Paris 2024. The Paralympic Games features a range of 100m races, ensuring they are inclusive to athletes in all physical, vision and intellectual impairment classifications. Athletes competing in the T47 classification usually have an impairment or amputation below the wrist or elbow.
Brits to watch
Maisie Summers-Newton
Since her international debut in 2018, Maisie Summers-Newton, 22, has won titles at all levels including the Paralympics, World, European, and Commonwealth events. At Tokyo 2020, she became a double Paralympics champion, winning in the SB6 100m breaststroke and SM6 200m individual medley finals. A force to be reckoned with, Summers-Newton will hope to build on her successes at her second Paralympic Games.
Classification to understand
Para swimming
Swimming classifications are split into three categories. ‘S’ (swimming) includes butterfly, backstroke and crawl; ‘SB’ for swimming breaststroke; and ‘SM’ (swimming multi) includes multi-swimming events.
The number that follows these letters correspond to the athlete’s physical or visual impairments. S1 to S10, SB1 to SB9, and SM1 to SM10 correspond to physical impairments while S, SB, and SM11 to 13 relate to visual impairments.
The greater the number, the less severe the athlete’s limitations.
Must-watch events
Para taekwondo
9:20am-9:31am: men’s +80kg, K44 round of 16
Para taekwondo will feature in the Paralympics for a second time after its debut at Tokyo 2020. It has one key difference to its Olympics counterpart – kicks to the head are not allowed. ParalympicsGB’s Matt Bush became Britain’s first male Para taekwondo athlete to win World Championship gold in 2019. He will look to build on his success at his first Paralympics.
Para table tennis
4pm-5pm: men’s doubles, MD4 gold medal match
Table tennis is the third largest Paralympics sport in terms of athlete numbers, with more than 40 million players in over 100 countries worldwide. All being well, ParalympicsGB duo Robert Davies and Tom Matthews will make it to the final on Saturday. However, they face fierce competition from a strong French cohort who will hope to build on their successes on home soil.
Para athletics
6:35pm-6:42pm: men’s 100m, T38 final
British sprinter Thomas Young will hope to continue his Paralympics success, after his gold in his Tokyo 2020 Games debut. He will face fierce competition from Team USA debutant Jaydin Blackwell – who won the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in a record time of 10.86 seconds .
Brits to watch
Iona Winnifrith
The 13-year-old from Tonbridge, Kent, is the youngest member of ParalympicsGB’s squad. She will make her Games debut in Paris on Saturday in the women’s 200m swimming heats after an impressive start to 2024 that included becoming a double European champion. The teenager swims in the S7 classification for physical impairment.
Classification to understand
K43 & K44
In para taekwondo, athletes are divided into two categories under the letter ‘K’, which stands for ‘Kyorugi’, the Korean word for sparring.
K43 athletes have bilateral amputations (where more than one limb has been surgically removed) below the elbow, or an equivalent loss of function in both upper limbs.
K44 athletes have unilateral arm amputations, or an equivalent loss of function – or loss of toes that impacts their ability to lift their heels properly.
Para athletes in these classifications compete in various body weight categories.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
9:47am-10:50am: women’s discus throw, F64 final
Chinese duo Juan Yao and Yue Yang dominated the competition at Tokyo 2020and to claim a double podium. ParalympicsGB newcomer Funmi Oduwaiye will hope to end to their dominance as she targets gold at her first Games. The 20-year-old from Cardiff was destined for basketball greatness until a routine surgery went badly wrong in 2019. She broke into Para athletics in 2022 and made her international debut last year at the World Para Athletics Championships.
Para cycling track
11:06am-11:44am: women’s 3,000m individual pursuit, C5 qualifier
Leading the way in Games appearances and gold medals is ParalympicsGB royalty, Sarah Storey. She will begin her ninth consecutive Games on Sunday morning and – all being well – will add to her medal collection in the final later that day. Storey hopes to create history by wining a place on the podium at a ninth consecutive summer Games.
Blind football
5:30pm-7:30pm: men’s preliminary round group A, Brazil vs Turkey
Despite ParalympicsGB’s failure to qualify for blind football at Paris 2024, the tournament is an exciting one to follow. Since its first appearance at Athens 2004, visually impaired players have impressed spectators around the world with their speed and perception of space. Team Brazil – five-time reigning champions of the sport – are likely to battle it out with Argentina and France for the gold medals.
Britons to watch
Alfie Hewett
The nine-time Grand Slam singles champion, 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion and Tokyo 2020 men’s doubles silver medallist returns to the Paralympics for his third Games. The 26-year-old wheelchair tennis player ended 2023 as the number-one men’s singles player and received an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for his services to the game. He will hope his success story continues in Paris, where he is competing in the men’s singles and doubles.
Classification to understand
Para cycling C, H, T & B
Para cycling classification uses four categories – ‘C’ for cycling, ‘H’ for handbike, ‘T’ for tricycle, and ‘B’ for blind (for tandems).
Solo riders in the ‘C’ category compete with prostheses or limited movement of their upper or lower limbs and are classified 1 to 5 based on the severity of their impairments.
Those competing in handcycling have spinal cord injuries or prostheses in one or both lower limbs – they are classified according to their severity from H1 to H5.
Athletes competing in the ‘T’ category have locomotor dysfunction and balance issues, such as cerebral palsy – and are classified T1 or T2.
Blind or visually-impaired athletes compete in tandem races under the V1 classification and race with a sighted pilot.
Must-watch events
Boccia
10:40am-11:40am: men’s individual, BC1 gold medal match
ParalympicsGB’s David Smith, Britain’s most successful boccia player, will hope to add to his medal collection in the men’s individual final. His precision and skill is sure to have spectators at the South Paris Arena on the edge of their seats as he competes in this game of strategy and accuracy.
Para swimming
5:05pm-5:27pm: women’s 50m backstroke, S3 final; and men’s and women’s 100m breaststroke, SB14 final
Many swimming medals are up for grabs on Monday night. ParalympicsGB competitors, including Ellie Challis and Harry Stewart, will hope to secure a place on the podium in the backstroke and breaststroke finals. However, they’re sure to face fierce competition from strong Brazilian and Japanese swimmers.
Para athletics
7:44pm-8:15pm: women’s 400m, T12 round 1
Valentina Petrillo, the Paralympics’ first openly transgender runner, begins her Games campaign on Monday evening. After one of Petrillo’s rivals sounded the alarm over her participation in the 200m and 400m sprints, the Italian runner accused opponents of “jealousy”, proclaiming it was “only fair” that she be allowed to compete. Amid ongoing rows and controversy over her participation, there is sure to be interest in Petrillo’s first appearance on the track.
Brits to watch
Ellie Challis
The 20-year-old swimmer from Clacton-on-Sea burst on to the scene in 2017 when she broke the British SB2 50m breaststroke record that had stood since 1992. Two years later, she became the world record holder in the event. At the age of 17, she was the youngest member of ParalympicsGB in Tokyo where she won a silver medal – and at Paris 2024, she will be looking to go a step further.
Classification to understand
Para athletics T & F
Athletics classifications are defined by a letter and a number: ‘T’ for track and jump events and ‘F’ for field events. The number that follows represents an impairment.
Numbers 11 to 13 relate to vision impairments; 20 signifies an intellectual impairment; while 31 to 38 reflect coordination impairments.
Athletes of short stature, or who are competing with lower or upper limb prosthesis or equivalent impairments, are classified from 40 to 47.
T51 to 54 correspond to wheelchair races; athletes competing in seated throws are classified under F51 to 58; while those competing with lower limb prosthesis are classified under numbers 61 to 64.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
11:20am-11:28am: women’s 1500m, T54 final
Athletes in the T54 classification have a spinal cord injury that requires them to race in a wheelchair. Tune in for the women’s final where ParalympicsGB team-mates Samantha Kinghorn, Eden Rainbow-Cooper and Melanie Woods will compete for a place on the podium – if, of course, they make it through the first round on Monday morning.
Wheelchair basketball
3:00pm-4:45pm: men’s wheelchair basketball quarter final
The sport is credited with laying the foundations for the Paralympic Games. First played by injured WW2 veterans as a rehabilitation exercise, wheelchair basketball fuelled the growth of parasports worldwide. The sport is played in more than 108 countries. Should the ParalympicsGB team make it through the preliminary rounds, they will compete in the quarter-finals at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
Wheelchair fencing
7:50pm-9:30pm: men’s sabre, category B gold medal bout; and men’s and women’s sabre, category A gold medal bout
Wheelchair fencing has featured in the paragames since the inaugural competition in 1960. Athletes compete in wheelchairs fastened to the floor keeping them close to their opponents to create high-intensity bouts with lots of action. ParalympicsGB’s Piers Gilliver, Dimitri Coutya, and Gemma Collis-McCann will hope to make it to Tuesday night’s finals for the chance to win a place on the podium.
Brits to watch
Piers Gilliver
At Tokyo 2020, Piers Gilliver ended a long wait when he became ParalympicsGB’s first wheelchair fencing gold medallist since 1988. The 29-year-old goes into Paris as the Épée world champion and European champion in two events after clinching double gold in the Sabre and Épée in Paris earlier this year and will hope to continue his successes.
Classification to understand
Wheelchair basketball
Players are classified on a points system according to the degree of their impairments. Points range from 1 to 4.5, with one representing the most severe impairment. The points total for the five players on court for each team must not exceed 14.
Must-watch events
Para cycling road
7:00am-5:00pm: men’s and women’s individual time trials, classifications B, C2, C3, C4, and C5
There will be a full day of para cycling action as male and female riders take to the roads for individual time trials. ParalympicsGB gold medal hopefuls include Sarah Storey, Archie Atkinson, and Matthew Robertson. Races will take place in the nearby town of Clichy-sous-Bois, where crowds are sure to gather to cheer on their country’s competitors.
Wheelchair tennis
11:00am-5:00pm: men’s quad doubles gold medal match and women’s singles semi final
With gold medal matches and semifinals galore, Wednesday is a big day for tennis fans. Tune in from 11:00am where Paralympics gold could be won by British quad doubles duo Andy Lapthore and Greg Slade. Other matches to enjoy during the day include Dutch wheelchair tennis star Diede de Groot. A Tokyo 2020 champion, he was undefeated in 145 matches on the way to this year’s Games and is used to victory at the Paris 2024 venue, where she has won five French Open titles.
Para powerlifting
4:00pm-5:05pm: women’s up to 45kg final
Medals are also up for grabs in powerlifting and Britain’s Zoe Newson will look to build on her impressive Paralympics record. Athletes are tested on their upper body strength in a bench press competition that is open to lifters with orthopaedic and neurological disabilities; paraplegia and tetraplegia; and cerebral palsy.
Brits to watch
Terry Bywater
The Redcar native made his Paralympics debut at Sydney 2000, aged 17, and will feature in his seventh successive Games. The wheelchair basketball player has competed in more than 20 international tournaments and won 14 medals – including four Paralympics bronzes back-to-back in 2004 and 2008 and again in 2016 and 2020. A legend of the Games with more than two decades of experience in Britain’s team, Bywater will hope to continue his peers’ medal-winning streak.
Classification to understand
Para archery
The sport is split into three classifications – open class with recurve bows, open class with compound bows, and W1 – where a compound bow is limited to 45 lbs in draw weight.
Archers in the open class using recurve bows shoot at a 122-centimetre target comprising 10 concentric circles from a standing position 70 metres away. They can score from one to 10 points depending on how near the bullseye their arrow lands.
The open class with compound bows is for archers with little strength in their arms. They shoot from a sitting position at a distance of 50 metres at an 80-centimetre five-ring target with point bands ranging from six to 10.
In the W1 classification, quadriplegic archers with an impairment in their lower limbs, trunk and one arm shoot from 50 metres at an 80 centimetre 10-band target.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
10:43am-11:41am: women’s shot put, F64 final
ParalympicsGB’s Funmi Oduwaiye’s second shot at gold will come on Thursday morning in the women’s shot put final. She is likely to face fierce competition from China’s Yao Juan, a veteran of the sport, who hopes to return to the Games after defending her F64 title at the Kobe Para Athletics Championships in May. The victory marked her eighth world championship title and the 39-year-old said she would compete at Paris 2024 “if conditions allow”.
Goalball
4:45pm and 6:30pm: women’s and men’s gold medal games
Though ParalympicsGB failed to qualify for the sport, goalball is well worth watching. A team sport designed for visually impaired and blind people, it was invented in 1946 for Second World War veterans who had lost their sight. Goalball players must engage their whole body to block powerful attacks from their opponents and the game is played in total silence. Brazil’s mens’ team will look to defend their title after winning gold at Tokyo 2020.
Para athletics
6:25pm-6:40pm: women’s 400m, T53 and T54 finals
7:45pm-8:48pm: men’s javelin throw, F13 final
There are plenty of medals up for grabs on the track and field on Thursday evening. British medal hopefuls include Melanie Woods in the women’s 400m T54 final and Daniel Pembroke in the men’s javelin F13 final. So settle in for an evening of action where – fingers crossed –ParalympicsGB will add a few golds to the roster.
Brits to watch
Daniel Pembroke
A veteran of the sport, Daniel Pembroke, 33, began throwing a javelin at secondary school. As a junior athlete, he competed in international championships, however after suffering an elbow injury, he took a break from the sport until 2019. In 2021, he pulled on the British vest for the first time in a decade at the World Para Athletics European Championships where he broke the European record for the F13 javelin. After an equally successful Tokyo 2020, where he set a Paralympic record of 69.52m, he will look to defend his titles at Paris 2024.
Classification to understand
Goalball
Athletes must have less than 10 per cent visual acuity to be eligible to compete in goalball at the Paralympics.
There are three classifications under the letter ‘B’ for blind.
B1 athletes have no light perception or an inability to recognise a shape, while athletes with B2 and B3 classifications have varying levels of limited visual acuity.
Each player must wear an opaque mask as well as an eye patch to ensure fair competition.
Must-watch events
Para canoe
9:10am-11:15am: men’s and women’s kayak and va’a single 200m; KL1, KL2, KL3, VL2 and VL3 heats
Canoeists will take to the water for three days of competition in the newly built Vaires-sur-Mare Nautical Stadium. Tune in on Friday morning as Britons such as Rob Oliver and Jeanette Chippington begin their campaign. The sport is a relatively new addition to the Games. While kayak events were introduced at Rio 2016, a second form called va’a, where competitors use a single-blade paddle, first appeared at Tokyo 2020.
Wheelchair tennis
12:30pm-3:00pm: men’s doubles gold medal match and women’s singles gold medal match
Wheelchair tennis’s “two-bounce” rule allows players to return the ball after it has bounced twice. Gold could be on the cards for ParalympicsGB after two afternoon finals. Podium hopefuls include Alife Hewlett, Gordon Reid, and Abbie Breakwell.
Para athletics
6:58pm-7:19pm: women’s 200m, T12 heat 1
The Paralympics’ first openly transgender runner Valentina Petrillo begins her 200m sprint campaign on Friday and will likely come face to face with outspoken rival.Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt. The latter recently claimed Petrillo – who transitioned in 2019 – could have a potential “advantage” in the race, while the Italian sprinter insists it is “only fair” she be allowed to compete.
Brits to watch
Hannah Cockroft
A Para athletics legend Hannah Cockroft, 32, will look to defend her titles in the T34 100m and 800m sprints4. The Halifax racer has won gold in all her races at the Paralympics since London 2012 and will want to continue her dominant streak. The excitement does not end for Cockroft once the Games close as shewill marry fiance, and ParalympicsGB team- mate, Nathan Maguire, after the competition.
Classification to understand
TT1-11
In para table tennis there are 11 classes in total, five for sitting athletes and six for standing competitors. Classifications TT1 to TT5 are for wheelchair athletes, TT6 to TT10 are for standing athletes and TT11 is for athletes with intellectual impairments.
Competitors who have difficulty gripping the racket may use orthotics to attach it to their hand or use strapping to maintain their grip of the handle only.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
9:00am-10:17am: men’s long jump, T13 final and men’s 800m, T34 final
It’s finals galore at the Stade de France on Saturday morning as athletes set their sights on gold in competitions such as shot put, long jump, and the 100m and 200m sprints. Aiming for a podium spot will be ParalympicsGB contestants including Zak Skinner and Isaac Towers.
Para table tennis
4:00pm-5:00pm: men’s singles, MS9 gold medal match
5:00pm-6:00pm – women’s singles, WS4 gold medal match
Saturday is a big day for table tennis with finals in the men’s and women’s singles. A strong Chinese cohort will hope to continue their country’s successes after their Olympic counterparts dominated the table tennis podiums, however they are likely to face strong competition from the likes of three-time world champion Dutch superstar Kelly van Zon, and Japanese phenomenon Koyo Iwabuchi.
Blind football
7:00pm-9:00pm men’s gold medal match
Tensions will be high at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Saturday night when the Paris 2024 blind football champions are crowned. Will Brazil continue their reign as the undisputed Paralympics champions, or could this be the year another team takes the crown for themselves? Tune in from 7pm to find out.
Brits to watch
Charlotte Henshaw
The 37-year-old from Nottingham became a Paralympic champion as a Para canoe athlete at her first Games at Tokyo 2020. A former Para swimmer, Heshaw made the switch to canoeing after Rio 2016. She is now an eight-time world champion and will hope to continue her glittering record at Paris 2024.
Classification to understand
Para judo
Competitors at the Paralympics are visually impaired and are divided into two categories.
B1 athletes are completely blind, while B2 to B3 competitors are visually impaired.
The judokas are then divided into weight classes.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
7:00am-12:00pm: men’s and women’s marathon, T54 and T12
The last day of the Paralympics kicks off with an extraordinary display of stamina and endurance as runners take to the streets for a 42.2-kilometre route from Seine-Saint-Denis, the department at the heart of the Games, to central Paris. As they head into the city, they face a challenging 185-metre climb up Buttes-Chaumont Park and the Champs-Elysées. The route ends with a lap around the Arc de Triomphe and will finish in front of the Esplanade des Invalides, where crowds of supporters will cheer them over the finish line.
Para canoe
10:25am-10:33am: women’s kayak single 200m, KL1 final
11:33am-11:41am: men’s va’a single 200m, VL3 final
Gold medal hopefuls include ParalympicsGB’s Charlotte Henshaw and Jack Eyers. The latter makes his Games debut at Paris 2024 after progressing through the ranks. He joined the Great Britain Para canoe programme in 2017.
Wheelchair basketball
12:45pm-2:30pm: women’s gold medal match
A spirited game of wheelchair basketball is the perfect way to conclude your Paralympics viewing. ParalympicsGB women will hope to be in the gold medal match at Bercy Arena in the afternoon but they will face fierce competition from a dominant US side along the way. The women’s team have not yet made it to the podium so a medal of any colour would be a fantastic achievement for the side.
Brits to watch
David Weir
The 45-year-old from Wallington, Surrey, is one of the most successful and celebrated Para athletes in the history of the sport. He made his Paralympic debut at Atlanta 1996 and has since won 10 medals at the Games, including six golds. At London 2012, he competed in seven races in 10 days and won four gold medals – in the T54 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon. Weir heads to Paris 2024 hoping to achieve his first Paralympics medal since he completed this impressive feat.
Classification to understand
KL & VL
In para canoe ‘KL’ corresponds to a kayak and double paddle while ‘VL’ corresponds to a pirogue (va’a) and single paddle.
KL1 and VL1 athletes have no or extremely limited trunk function and no function in the legs.
KL2 and VL2 athletes have partial legs and trunk function. They are able to sit up straight in the kayak but may require a high-backed seat.
Athletes in the KL3 and VL3 classifications have full function of their trunk and partial function in the legs. They are able to sit with the trunk bent forwards in the kayak and can use at least one leg.
Source Agencies
