All You Need to Know About the 2024 Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games has always been a showcase for incredible athletes who push the boundaries of what’s possible. With a rich history of inspiring performances, the Paralympics continue to captivate and motivate audiences around the world. This blog covers everything you need to know about the 2024 Paralympic Games. Join us as we explore the stories, achievements, and spirit of the Paralympics that bring people together and inspire millions.

The Paralympic Games is an international sports competition for athletes with disabilities that has captured the attention and admiration of people worldwide. Following the successful conclusion of the Olympic Games in early August, Paris, the capital of France, opened its doors to Paralympic athletes for the 17th edition of the event. Athletes with disabilities competed for the top honours in both individual and team competitions at the 2024 Paralympics, featuring 22 sports and 4,400 athletes from around the globe.

The term “alongside” in Greek, from which the prefix “para” in Paralympic is derived, suggests that the Paralympic Games are held in conjunction with the Olympic Games. The three elements that form the symbol of the Paralympic Games are known as “Agitos,” meaning “I move” in Latin. From the events and their locations to the mascots, here’s everything you should know about the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

The History and Origin of the Paralympics

In 1948, at a distinguished military hospital in northern London, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist, sought to enhance the rehabilitation of his paraplegic patients, all veterans of the Second World War. He did it by proposing a series of athletic competitions to coincide with the London Olympics.

Initially, the Paralympic Games permitted only athletes in wheelchairs to compete. However, the official mission of the 1976 Paralympic Games expanded to embrace participants with diverse disabilities, including amputations and visual impairments.

Last spring celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Paralympic Games, originating with its inaugural official event in 1960. The organisers named it “The Stoke Mandeville Games” to honour the hospital.

Key Highlights of the Paris 2024 Paralympics

Here’s a rundown of everything you should know about this major event.

Where Were the Competitions Held?

The Stade de France hosted the 164th Para Athletics medal events. It also hosted athletics and rugby seven-a-side during the Olympics. And do you know the best thing? It’s also the same place where Sweden’s Armand Duplantis broke the world record for the pole vault and the French men’s team won the Olympic rugby sevens competition.

Who Was the 2024 Paralympic Mascot?

In an effort to honour the spirit of the French Revolution, the organisers of the Paris 2024 Games decided to use Phrygian caps as the mascot. The Paralympic Phryge carries on the tradition of independence and freedom in athletics by drawing inspiration from the legendary Phrygian cap, which has served as a historical emblem. The Phrygian cap is a perfect symbol for the Games because of its rich history and symbolism of independence. It has been a part of many important occasions in French history.

How Many Countries Took Part in the Games?

Alongside the Refugee Paralympic team and Neutral Paralympic athletes, a designation for para-athletes from Russia and Belarus, the Paralympics showcased representatives from 167 nations.

What Was the Schedule for the 2024 Paralympics?

On all competition days, the Paralympic events in Paris commenced around 11 AM IST and extended into the early hours of the following day. With the exception of shooting, which often takes place in the early evening, most major medal events occured in the evening or even after midnight.

How Many Sports Were in the Paralympics?

The Paris Paralympics honoured athletes with medals in 549 events across 22 sports. It also featured new competitions such as blind judo, para-rowing, and para-cycling.

Who Were the Anticipated Para Athletics Stars?

Charles-Antoine Kouakou emerged as a formidable medal contender among the French athletes qualified for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. He secured the title of 400-meter T20 Paralympic champion.

The 34-member French delegation, including Nantenin Keïta, Timothée Adolphe, Pierre Fairbank, Arnaud Assoumani, Trésor Makunda, and Dimitri Pavadé, also exhibited remarkable determination at the 2024 Paralympics.

How Were Players Categorised as Differently Abled?

The athletes were classified into different “Sports Classes” based on the extent to which their physical disability restricts their level of participation. Athletes were categorised according to eight distinct physical impairments in addition to visual and cerebral limitations. These eight conditions include ataxia, hypertonia, leg length disparity, limb deficit, reduced muscle power, and limited passive range of motion.

Certain sports, like para-powerlifting, had only one Sport Class. However, track and field’s various disciplines led to the grouping of para-athletics into over 50 Sport Classes.

India’s Participation in the 2024 Paralympics: An Overview

Ninety-five officials accompanied the 84-member Indian contingent to the Paris Paralympics that commenced on August 28. There were around 179 people in the Indian contingent altogether. Nine of the 95 were contingent medical officials, nine more were contingent officials, and around 77 were team officials.

India expanded its scope of possibilities by competing in 12 disciplines, which is a major increase from the nine at Tokyo 2020. Notably, para-rowing, para-cycling, and blind judo saw the introduction of Indian para-athletes in three brand-new sports.

Avani Lekhara’s historic achievement of becoming the first Indian woman to win two gold medals at the Paralympics was among the many incredible accomplishments made by Indian athletes at the Games. In the women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 shooting event, Lekhara successfully defended her title and broke the previous world record.

India’s Medal Tally at the Paris Paralympics 2024

With 29 medals in total, seven gold, nine silver, and thirteen bronze, the Indian contingent finished its historic campaign at the Paris Paralympics, surpassing any previous nation’s results in the competition’s history. With this outstanding achievement, India also achieved a milestone in Paralympic Games history by crossing the 50-medal mark.

With this historic accomplishment, India has outperformed its best-ever performance in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, when they took home 19 medals total, five gold, eight silver, and six bronze. This accomplishment has also placed India among the top 20 nations in the medal rankings at the large-scale competition, which was once again led by China.

Nonetheless, China emerged as the leader in the Paralympics medal count with 220 medals, with 94 of them being gold, by the end of all events on the last day of the competition on Sunday. China has consistently held the top spot in the medal rankings since the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Great Britain took second place in Paris, winning 49 gold medals, while the United States secured third with 36 gold medals.

The Bottom Line

The 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris was a resounding success. It left a lasting legacy of inspiration, inclusivity, and athletic excellence. Athletes from all corners of the globe came together to redefine what it means to compete at the highest level, regardless of physical limitations. So, it won’t be wrong to say that the spirit of perseverance and unity on display in Paris will undoubtedly influence future generations.