It’s the “return match” of Paris 2024. On August 28, in exactly 100 days this Monday, May 20, the Paralympic Games will begin, which bring together the best disabled sports athletes on the planet. France hopes to win more medals than in 2021 in Tokyo (54), but also to beat the attendance record for the London Games in 2012 (2.7 million spectators). A few months before kick-off, Franceinfo: sport answers the main questions about the Paralympic Games.
How many medals can France hope for?
The objective set by Jean Minier, the sports director of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee (CPSF), is to “double the number of gold medals” compared to the last Paralympic Games. In 2021 in Tokyo, the French delegation brought back 11 titles, 15 silver medals, 28 bronze, for a total of 54 medals.
What is the sport that brings the most medals to France at the Paralympic Games?
Traditionally, para-athletics and para-swimming are the disciplines that reward the most French athletes. But at the Tokyo Games in 2021, para-cycling (17 medals) and para table tennis (11 medals) shone more than the athletes (eight medals including one gold) and swimmers (five medals but none gold).
Which country traditionally dominates the Paralympic Games?
The United States long dominated in the 20th century, but the last five editions of the Paralympics have been won by China, with Great Britain and the United States usually completing the podium. At the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation won 207 medals: 96 gold, 60 silver and 51 bronze.
Are there mixed Paralympic sports?
Yes. Wheelchair rugby, para-equestrian and boccia are mixed at the Paralympic Games.
When did the first edition of the Paralympic Games take place?
The first official edition of the Paralympic Games was held in 1960 in Rome. These are in reality the 9th “Stoke Mandeville Games”, named after the hospital where Doctor Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist, had the idea, in 1948, of creating sporting events for veterans who had become paraplegics.
Who are the most decorated athletes in the history of the Paralympic Games?
American swimmer Trischa Zorn, who is visually impaired, has competed in seven editions of the Paralympic Games for an impressive total of 55 medals, including 41 gold. Among the men, it is the Swedish shooter Jonas Jacobsson who is the most rewarded, with 30 medals including 17 gold.
What is the route of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games torch relay?
The Paralympic Games flame will be lit on August 25 in Stoke Mandeville (England), the historic cradle of Paralympic sport, before reaching France via the Channel Tunnel. Upon arrival in Calais, eleven other flames will be lit in France, before converging on Paris to merge and light the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games on August 28.
Where will the opening ceremony take place?
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place on August 28 in the streets of Paris. The delegations will parade down the Avenue des Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde, where the stadium, created for the Olympic Games, will host the show.
Where will the tests take place?
The events of the 2024 Paralympic Games will almost all take place in Ile-de-France. In Paris, the athletes will take over the new “Arenas” but also several historic places: the Grand Palais (parataekwondo and wheelchair fencing), the Invalides (archery), the Champ-de-Mars (parajudo, wheelchair rugby). .. The only event taking place outside Ile-de-France, the sporting event will take place at the Châteauroux national shooting center.
How many athletes are expected?
No less than 4,400 Paralympic athletes will participate in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. They are expected to come from 184 different national Paralympic committees, 20 more than at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
How many tests will take place?
There will be 22 sports and 23 Paralympic disciplines (para-cycling includes two distinct disciplines: track and road) for 549 events, depending on categories or distances for example.
The 23 disciplines are: wheelchair basketball, boccia, blind football, wheelchair fencing, goalball, para-athletics, para-rowing, para-badminton, para-canoeing, para-cycling on the road, para-cycling on the track, para-riding, para-weightlifting, para-judo, para-swimming, parataekwondo, paratennis table tennis, para archery, para sport, paratriathlon, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis and sitting volleyball.
Are any sports appearing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games?
No, no new sport is joining the Paralympic program this year. In Tokyo, parabadminton and parataekwondo made their first appearance.
Which Paralympic Games sports have no equivalent for able-bodied people?
Boccia and goalball are the two sports on the Paralympic Games program which have no equivalent for able-bodied people. Boccia is often compared to pétanque, but it is played with soft balls. Goalball is a ball sport designed for visually impaired people.
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Which disciplines are open to athletes with intellectual disabilities?
Only para-athletics, para-swimming and para-table tennis are open to athletes with intellectual disabilities at the Paralympic Games. These are also the three disciplines with the most participants. Para-athletics and para-swimming are open to all types of disabilities.
How do visually impaired runners navigate during races?
Visually impaired or blind athletes find their way thanks to a guide who runs alongside them in para-athletics, and thanks to a pilot who also accompanies them in para-cycling and paratriathlon.
What is the symbol of the Paralympic Games?
The symbol of the Paralympic Games is not the Olympic rings. These are three waves of color called “agitos” (“I move” in Latin), symbolizing movement.
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How are athletes divided into disability categories?
Each Paralympic sport has its own classification system. The classification depends on the impact of the impairment on sports performance, with one or two letters indicating the name sport in English (“S” for swimming), and one or two numbers indicating the type of disability and possibly its degree.
Are athletes divided into disability categories in all sports?
No, one discipline is an exception: paraweightlifting. At the Paralympic Games, paraweightlifting is only practiced in the bench press, called “parapowerlifting”. Competitors are mixed, regardless of disability, but separated by weight categories.
Do all sports allow prosthetics?
No, not para-swimming. The athletes all swim without accessories.
Is there a refugee team like in the Olympics?
Yes. According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), ten athletes will make up this selection. The Paralympic refugee team first appeared at the Rio Games in 2016, with two athletes, then had six in Tokyo in 2021.
Are the distances for paratriathlon and paramarathon events the same as their Olympic Games equivalents?
In the paramarathon, the distance is the same as for the able-bodied: 42.195 km. In paratriathlon, the distances are twice as short as for the Olympic event: 750 m of open water swimming, 20 km of cycling and 5 km of running.
How many French athletes will be present at the Paralympic Games?
Nearly 200 French athletes are expected to make up the French Paralympic delegation to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, including 110 under the aegis of the French Handisport Federation
Who are the best French disabled sports athletes?
The leading figures of French disabled sports will be numerous at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Alexandre Léauté (quadruple medalist in Tokyo and therefore gold in C2 pursuit) and Heïdi Gaugain (double world champion in C5 individual pursuit) in para-cycling, Alex Portal and Ugo Didier (double Paralympic medalists in Tokyo) in para-swimming, Nélia Barbosa (Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo) and Rémy Boullé in paracanoeing, Alexis Hanquinquant (reigning Olympic champion and six-time world champion) in paratriathlon, Fabien Lamirault (double Paralympic champion in Rio then Tokyo) in table paratennis, Ryadh Sallem in wheelchair rugby…
How many tickets have already been sold for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games?
100 days before the start of the event, just over 900,000 tickets have already been sold. This represents approximately a third of the number of places available. The organizing committee aims to beat the attendance record for the London 2012 Paralympic Games (2.7 million tickets sold).
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