The 2024 Summer Paralympics (French: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 2024), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (French: Jeux paralympiques d'été de Paris 2024), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international multi-sport parasports event governed by the International Paralympic Committee. The Games were held in Paris, France, from 28 August to 8 September 2024, and featured 549 medal events across 22 sports. These games marked the first time Paris hosted the Summer Paralympics and the second time France hosted the Paralympic Games, following the 1992 Winter Paralympics in Tignes and Albertville. France also hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics.
 | |
| Location | Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Motto | Games Wide Open (French: Ouvrons Grand les Jeux)[1][2] |
| Nations | 170 (including the NPA and RPT teams)[3] |
| Athletes | 4,463 |
| Events | 549 in 22 sports |
| Opening | 28 August 2024[4] |
| Closing | 8 September 2024[4] |
| Opened by | |
| Closed by | |
| Cauldron | |
| Stadium | Place de la Concorde (Opening ceremony) Stade de France (Closing ceremony)[5] |
Summer Winter
2024 Summer Olympics | |
China topped the medal table for the sixth consecutive Paralympics, winning 94 golds and 221 total medals. Great Britain finished second for the tenth time, with 49 golds and 124 total medals. The United States finished third, with 36 golds, and 105 total medals. Additionally, Mauritius, Nepal, and the Refugee Paralympic Team won their first-ever Paralympic medals. The host nation, France, finished eighth with 19 gold and 75 total medals.
Bidding process
As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics must also host the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[6]
Due to concerns over a number of cities withdrawing in the bid process of the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics, a process to award the 2024 and 2028 Games simultaneously to the final two cities in the running to host the 2024 Summer Olympics – Los Angeles and Paris – was approved at an Extraordinary IOC Session on 11 July 2017 in Lausanne.[7] Paris was understood to be the preferred host for the 2024 Games. On 31 July 2017, the IOC announced Los Angeles as the sole candidate for the 2028 Games, opening Paris up to be confirmed as host for the 2024 Games. Both decisions were ratified at the 131st IOC Session on 13 September 2017.[8]
Development and preparations
Venues
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All the Paralympic events were held in and around Paris, including the suburbs of Saint-Denis and Versailles, and Vaires-sur-Marne which is just outside the city environs.[9]
Grand Paris zone
| Venue | Events | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stade de France | Closing Ceremony | 77,083 | Existing |
| Athletics (Track and Field) | |||
| Paris La Défense Arena | Swimming | 15,220 | |
| Porte de La Chapelle Arena | Badminton | 6,700 | Additional |
| Powerlifting | 7,000 | ||
| Clichy-sous-Bois | Cycling (Road) | – | Temporary |
| North Paris Arena | Sitting volleyball | 6,000 | Existing |
| Parc Georges Valbon – La Courneuve | Para-marathon (start) | – | Temporary |
Paris Centre zone
| Venue | Events | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bercy Arena | Wheelchair Basketball | 15,000 | Existing |
| Grand Palais Éphémère | Judo | 8,356 | |
| Wheelchair Rugby | |||
| Eiffel Tower Stadium (Champ de Mars) | Football 5-a-side | 12,860 | Temporary |
| Les Invalides | Archery, Para marathon (finish) | 8,000 | |
| Grand Palais | Taekwondo | 6,500 | Existing |
| Wheelchair Fencing | |||
| Pont Alexandre III | Triathlon | 1,000 | Temporary |
| Stade Roland Garros | Wheelchair Tennis | 12,000 | Existing |
| South Paris Arena | Boccia | 9,000 | |
| Table tennis | 6,650 | ||
| Goalball | 7,300 | ||
Versailles zone
| Venue | Events | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardens of the Palace of Versailles | Para equestrian (Dressage) | 80,000 (22,000 + 58,000) |
Temporary |
Outlying venues
| Venue | Events | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium (Île de loisirs de Vaires-Torcy) | Para canoe | 12,000 | Existing |
| Para rowing | 14,000 | ||
| Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines | Cycling (Track) | 5,000 | |
| National Shooting Centre (Châteauroux) | Shooting | 3,000 |
Non-competitive venues
| Venue | Use | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place de la Concorde | Opening Ceremony | 65,000 | Temporary |
| Olympic Village, L'Île-Saint-Denis | Paralympic Village | 17,000 | Additional |
| Parc de l'Aire des Vents, Dugny | Media Village | – | Temporary |
| Le Bourget Exhibition Centre and Media Village, Le Bourget | International Broadcast Centre | – | Existing |
| Paris Congress Centre | Main Press Centre | – |
Medals
The designs of the medals for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled on 8 February 2024;[10] as with the Olympic medals, the front of the Paralympic medals features an embedded original piece of scrap iron from the Eiffel Tower in the shape of a hexagon, engraved with the Paris 2024 emblem. The obverse contains a design of the Eiffel Tower viewed from below, inscriptions in braille (a writing system whose development has been credited to French educator and inventor Louis Braille), and line patterns that can be used to identify the medals by touch.[11][12]
Volunteers
In March 2023, applications to be volunteers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were released.[13] By May 2023, 300,000 applications had been received.[14] Applicants were made aware of the status of their application in late 2023, of which 45,000 were expected to be assigned a volunteering position.[15]
Transportation
Accessibility in the transportation network for people with disabilities was a concern during the lead-up to the Games; accessibility of the Paris Métro system is limited, with only one of its 16 lines being fully wheelchair-accessible—a shortcoming that faced criticism from disability advocates and IPC president Andrew Parsons. Ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics, Paris invested €1.5 billion towards improving the accessibility of local businesses and other forms of transport, including €125 million to upgrade its bus fleet to accommodate passengers with wheelchairs, and subsidizing the purchase of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs.[16][17][18]
Tickets
On the day of the closing ceremony, 2.5 million of the 2.8 million tickets available for the games were sold. Suprassing London 2012 as the most tickets ever sold for a Paralympic games. Several sports reported record attendance.[19][20]
Torch relay
The torch relay began with the lighting of the Paralympic Heritage flame in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom, on 24 August. The next day, the torch arrived in France via the Channel Tunnel, thus beginning the torch relay. The torch was split into 12 parts and visited 12 different cities across France. The relay ended with the lighting of the Paralympic cauldron on 28 August.[21][22][23]
The Games
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held on 28 August 2024 at the Place de la Concorde, the first Paralympic opening ceremony to take place outside of a stadium. Directed by Thomas Jolly and with choreography by Alexander Ekman, the ceremony was themed around the "human body and its paradoxes".[24] The Parade of Nations took place on the Champs-Élysées starting at the Arc de Triomphe (where the Paralympic Agitos were erected), and ending at provisory arena.[25]
The final leg culminated with multiple torchbearers coming together, who then lit the Paralympic cauldron, a ring of 40 computerised LEDs and 200 high-pressure water aerosol spray dispensers which was topped by a 30-metre-tall helium sphere resembling a hot air balloon, rising in the air, reminiscent of the Montgolfier brothers' experiments leading to the first hot air balloon flight in 1783.[26] Performers included French singer Christine and the Queens. Dignitaries who attended the ceremony included British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, IOC President Thomas Bach, IPC President Andrew Parsons, and French President Emmanuel Macron, who opened the games.
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony took place at the Stade de France on 8 September 2024.[27]
French composer Jean-Michel Jarre opened the festivities. A total of twenty-three other DJs performed, including Étienne de Crécy, Cassius, DJ Falcon and Alan Braxe.[28]
Dignitaries included Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, French president Emmanuel Macron, International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons, and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass.
Sports
The programme for the 2024 Summer Paralympics was announced in January 2019, with no changes to the 22 sports from the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[29][30][31] The first draft of the event schedule was released on 8 July 2022, with 549 events in 22 sports. A record 235 medal events will be women's events, an increase of eight over 2020; factoring these events and mixed-gender events, the number of female participants in the Paralympics is projected to be at least double of that of Sydney 2000.[30][31]
The IPC considered bids for golf, karate, para dance sport, and powerchair football to be added to the Paralympic programme as new sports. Bids were also made for CP football (football 7-a-side) and sailing—the two sports that had been dropped for 2020—to be reinstated. While CP football was selected for consideration by the IPC, it was rejected due to a lack of reach in women's participation.[29]
In January 2021, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) was declared non-competent by the IPC for violations of its Athlete Classification Code, and the sport was dropped from the Paris 2024 programme. On 22 September 2021, the IPC conditionally reinstated wheelchair basketball following reforms made by the IWBF, subject to compliance measures.[32]
_-_2024-09-02_-_17.jpg)
Archery () (9)
Athletics () (164)
Badminton () (16)
Boccia () (11)
Cycling () (51)
Equestrian () (11)
Football 5-a-side () (1)
Goalball () (2)
Judo () (16)
Paracanoe () (10)
Paratriathlon () (11)
Powerlifting () (20)
Rowing () (5)
Shooting () (13)
Sitting volleyball () (2)
Swimming () (141)
Table tennis () (31)
Taekwondo () (10)
Wheelchair basketball () (2)
Wheelchair fencing () (16)
Wheelchair rugby () (1)
Wheelchair tennis () (6)
Source:[29]
Calendar
The International Paralympic Committee approved the final schedule, and dates for the Summer Paralympic Games were released on 2 February 2023.[33]
- All times and dates use Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| August/September 2024 | August | September | Events | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28th Wed |
29th Thu |
30th Fri |
31st Sat |
1st Sun |
2nd Mon |
3rd Tue |
4th Wed |
5th Thu |
6th Fri |
7th Sat |
8th Sun | |||
.svg){kind=logo} Ceremonies |
OC | CC | — | |||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Boccia |
● | ● | ● | 2 | 6 | ● | ● | 3 | 11 | |||||
.svg){kind=small} Football 5-a-side |
● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Goalball |
● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | |||||
.svg){kind=small} Para archery |
● | ● | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||||
.svg){kind=small} Para athletics |
14 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 24 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 4 | 164 | |||
.svg){kind=small} Para badminton |
● | ● | ● | 2 | 14 | 16 | ||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para canoe |
● | 5 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Para cycling | _pictogram_(Paralympics).svg){kind=small} Road |
19 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 34 | ||||||||
_pictogram_(Paralympics).svg){kind=small} Track |
4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 17 | |||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para equestrian |
3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 | |||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para judo |
5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | ||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para powerlifting |
4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 | ||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para rowing |
● | ● | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para swimming |
15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 141 | |||
.svg){kind=small} Para table tennis |
● | 2 | 5 | 3 | ● | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 31 | |||
.svg){kind=small} Para taekwondo |
3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | ||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Para triathlon |
11 | 11 | ||||||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Shooting para sport |
3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | ||||||
.svg){kind=small} Sitting volleyball |
● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
.svg){kind=small} Wheelchair basketball |
● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
.svg){kind=small} Wheelchair fencing |
4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 16 | ||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Wheelchair rugby |
● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
.svg){kind=small} Wheelchair tennis |
● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||||
| Daily medal events | 0 | 22 | 42 | 49 | 53 | 61 | 50 | 63 | 63 | 57 | 75 | 14 | 549 | |
| Cumulative total | 0 | 22 | 64 | 113 | 166 | 227 | 277 | 340 | 403 | 460 | 535 | 549 | ||
| August/September 2024 | August | September | Events | |||||||||||
| 28th Wed |
29th Thu |
30th Fri |
31st Sat |
1st Sun |
2nd Mon |
3rd Tue |
4th Wed |
5th Thu |
6th Fri |
7th Sat |
8th Sun | |||
| OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Gold medal events | CC | Closing ceremony |
Medal summary
* Host nation (France)
| Rank | NPC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China | 94 | 76 | 50 | 220 |
| 2 |  Great Britain | 49 | 44 | 31 | 124 |
| 3 |  United States | 36 | 42 | 27 | 105 |
| 4 |  Netherlands | 27 | 17 | 12 | 56 |
| – |  Neutral Paralympic Athletes | 26 | 22 | 23 | 71 |
| 5 |  Brazil | 25 | 26 | 38 | 89 |
| 6 |  Italy | 24 | 15 | 32 | 71 |
| 7 |  Ukraine | 22 | 28 | 32 | 82 |
| 8 |  France* | 19 | 28 | 28 | 75 |
| 9 |  Australia | 18 | 17 | 28 | 63 |
| 10 |  Japan | 14 | 10 | 17 | 41 |
| 11–85 | Remaining NPCs | 195 | 226 | 289 | 710 |
| Totals (85 entries) | 549 | 551 | 607 | 1,707 | |
Podium Sweeps
| Date | Sport | Event | Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September | Swimming | Men's 50 metre backstroke S5 | China |
Yuan Weiyi | Guo Jincheng | Wang Lichao | [35] |
| Women's 50 metre backstroke S5 | Lu Dong | He Shenggao | Liu Yu | [36] | |||
| 5 September | Men's 50 metre freestyle S5 | Guo Jincheng | Yuan Weiyi | Wang Lichao | [37] | ||
| 6 September | Men's 50 metre butterfly S5 | Guo Jincheng | Yuan Weiyi | Wang Lichao | [38] | ||
| Athletics | Women's 100m - T64 | Netherlands |
Fleur Jong | Kimberly Alkemade | Marlene van Gansewinkel | [39] | |
| 7 September | Swimming | Women's 200m Individual Medley - SM5 | China |
He Shenggao | Lu Dong | Cheng Jiao | [40] |
Participating National Paralympic Committees
Of the 187 existing National Paralympic Committees (NPC), 168 classified at least one athlete for the Summer Paralympic Games, which was a historic participation record.Three NPCs, Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo, made their Paralympic debuts at these Games.[3] Nine NPCs returned to the Paralympics after a time of absence: Bangladesh (2008); the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu (2012); and East Timor, Macau, Myanmar, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago and Turkmenistan (2016).[41] Of the 162 Paralympic Committees that sent their delegations to Tokyo in 2021, only the Faroe Islands were not present.[42]
Number of athletes by National Paralympic Committee
As of 27 August 2024[update]
Marketing
Emblem and branding
The emblem for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics (a stylized rendition of Marianne) was unveiled on 21 October 2019 at the Grand Rex. For the first time, a Paralympic Games will share the same emblem as their corresponding Olympics, with no difference or variation. Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet stated that the decision was intended to reflect the two events sharing a single "ambition", explaining that "in terms of legacy we believe that in this country we need to strengthen the place of sport in the daily life of the people, and whatever the age, whatever the disability or not, you have a place and a role to play in the success of Paris 2024".[45]
The official posters for these Olympics and Paralympics by Ugo Gattoni (which features a stylized Paris landscape with themed depictions of its landmarks and venues) were also designed as a single piece, split in halves representing each event.[46]
Mascots
The mascots of Paris 2024, The Phryges, were unveiled on 14 November 2022. They are a pair of anthrophomorphic Phrygian caps, which have been regarded as a historical symbol of liberty and freedom in France. The Phryge representing the Paralympics wears a running blade on one of its legs, marking the first time since 1994 that a Paralympic mascot has been depicted with a visible disability.[47]
Broadcasting rights
For the first time, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) will provide live telecasts for all 22 Paralympic sports—an increase from 19 in Tokyo.[48]
In 175+ countries where broadcast rights had not been sold, the Games were streamed on YouTube via a partnership with the IPC, including event coverage, highlights and YouTube Shorts content, as well as multi-view support.[49] An exception was Great Britain and Ireland, as while the games were also broadcast on YouTube in this region, but they were broadcast on the Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel as opposed to the IPC channel.[50]
| YouTube allowed countries[51] | Was also shown[52] |
|---|---|
| Africa (also countries cited below) | SuperSport |
| Algeria | Public Establishment of Television, Télédiffusion d'Algérie |
| Afghanistan | None |
| Antarctica | |
| Argentina | Tyc Sports |
| Australia | Nine Network |
| Azerbaijan | İctimai Television |
| Brunei Darussalam | None |
| Bolivia | Bolivision |
| Botswana | BTV |
| Brazil | Grupo Globo |
| Bhutan | None |
| Burundi | RTNB |
| Cambodia | None |
| Canada | CBC |
| Cape Verde | TCV |
| Caribbean | None |
| Costa Rica | Canal 4, Canal 6, Canal 11, Repretel |
| Central America (excluding cited) | None |
| Cook Islands | CiTV, Araura TV, Mangaia TV, Vaka TV |
| Comoros | ORTC |
| Chile | Chilevisión |
| Congo | RTNC |
| China | CMG (CCTV) |
| Colombia | Teleantioquia, Canal Capita, Canal Trece, Telepacifico, Telecafé, Canal Tro, Teleislas, Telecaribe |
| Cuba | Telerebelde |
| Djibouti | Radio Television of Djibouti (RTD) |
| Dominican Republic | Antena 7 |
| Ecuador | RTS |
| Egypt | Egyptian Radio and Television Union |
| El Salvador | Canal 12, TUTV |
| Eswatini | ESWATINI TV |
| Fiji | FBC, Mai TV, Fiji TV |
| Gabon | GABON TELEVISIONS |
| Gambia | GRTS |
| Gibraltar | None |
| Guinea | RTG |
| Guatemala | Canal 11 |
| Greece | ERT |
| Honduras | VTV Canal 9 |
| Hong Kong | RTHK |
| Indonesia | Garuda TV |
| India | JioCinema, Sports18 (Only Highlights) |
| Indian subcontinent | DD Sports (Doordarshan) |
| Iraq | Iraqi Media Network |
| Japan | Japan Consortium |
| Jordan | JRTV |
| Kenya | KBC |
| Kuwait | Kuwait Television |
| Kyrgyzstan | None |
| Laos | None |
| Lebanon | Tele Liban |
| Lesotho | LTV |
| Liberia | LNTV |
| Madagascar | Télévision Malagasy |
| Mauritania | TV de Mauritanie⁷ |
| Mauritius | Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation |
| Morocco | SNRT |
| Micronesia | FSMTC-TV |
| Middle East (excluding cited) | None |
| South Korea | SBS, KBS, MBC |
| North Korea | None |
| Kazakhstan | Qazsport |
| Sri Lanka | None |
| Myanmar | |
| Mongolia | |
| Macao | CCTV |
| Mexico | Canal Once, Hi! Sports, Claro Sports |
| Malaysia | Radio Televisyen Malaysia |
| Namibia | Namibian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Niger | RTN |
| Nicaragua | TV RED |
| Nigeria | NTA Network and Africa Independent Television |
| Nepal | None |
| Palestine | Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Papua New Guinea | NBC PNG, EMTV, PNGTV |
| Philippines | None |
| Palau | Oceania Television Network |
| Paraguay | SNT |
| Peru | ATV |
| Poland | Polsat, Polsat Sport 1 |
| Romania | None |
| Qatar | Qatar Media Corporation |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi Broadcasting Authority |
| Solomon Islands | TTV, SIBC |
| Senegal | Radiodiffusion Télévision Sénégalaise |
| Seychelles | Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation |
| Singapore | Mediacorp |
| Syria | General Organisation of Radio and TV |
| Somalia | Television of the Republic of Somalia |
| Spain | RTVE |
| Sudan | Sudan TV |
| Thailand | T Sports 7, PPTV, AIS PLAY |
| Tajikistan | TV Varzish |
| Tanzania | ZBC 2 |
| Timor-Leste | None |
| Turkmenistan | |
| Tunisia | Télévision Tunisienne |
| Tonga | None |
| Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) | ELTA TV |
| Tunisia | Television Tunisienne |
| Uruguay | None |
| United Arab Emirate (UAE) | Abu Dhabi Media, Dubai Media Incorporated |
| Uzbekistan | NTRC |
| Venezuela | TVes |
| Vietnam | None |
| Vanuatu | VBTC |
| Samoa | TV1 Samoa, TV3 Samoa |
| Yemen | Yemen TV |
| Zambia | SUN SPORTS TV |
In conjunction with the Olympic Games, the French national public television broadcaster France Télévisions acquired rights to the 2024 Summer Paralympics, airing mainly on France 2 and France 3.[53] On 28 August 2020, Channel 4 renewed its rights to the Paralympics in the United Kingdom through 2024;[54] coverage was broadcast on Channel 4 television, streaming, and Channel 4 Sport channels on YouTube. Channel 4 notably hired actress Rose Ayling-Ellis as a presenter, with the broadcaster stating that she would be the first deaf person to serve as a correspondent on a live sports broadcast.[55][56]
CBC Sports renewed its Canadian rights to the Paralympics for 2024 and 2026, in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee. This was notably the final on-air role for long-time CBC Sports anchor Scott Russell before his retirement from broadcasting; Russell had covered 16 Olympic Games and hosted six during his 40-year career at the network.[57][58] In the United States, NBC Sports planned a major expansion of its coverage, including extending digital features from the Olympics on Peacock such as the "Gold Zone" whiparound broadcast, and multi-view, to the Paralympics.[56][59]
See also
- 2024 Summer Olympics
- Other Paralympics celebrated in France:
Notes
- Although the IPC does not include Neutral Paralympic Athletes in the official medal tables,[34] they are listed here for comparison purposes only.
References
External links
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