The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games started on 28 Aug and go till 8 Sept. They take place right after the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. This is the first time that France has hosted the Summer Paralympic Games, according to paralympic.org.
The Paralympics are “a major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities… comparable to the Olympic Games,” according to britannica.com.
Similar to the Special Olympics, the games are for athletes with disabilities, yet they are two different competitions. To qualify for the Paralympics, you must meet the criteria of one of the 10 categories of impairment. These categories include: “impaired muscle power; impaired range of movement; limb deficiency; leg length difference; short stature; hypertonia; ataxia (affecting muscle coordination); athetosis (such as cerebral palsy); vision impairment; and intellectual disability,” according to media.specialolympics.org.
More than 4,000 athletes worldwide compete for the opportunity to win a metal. There are 22 sports, either team or individual, that athletes are able to participate in. They include: para archery, para athletics, para badminton, blind football, boccia, para canoe, para cycling, para equestrian, goalball, para judo, para powerlifting, para rowing, shooting para sport, sitting volleyball, para swimming, para table tennis, para taekwondo, para triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
Visually impaired Track and Field athletes who are B1 or B2, as well as distance runners, are allowed to have a seeing guide runner.
The B1 classification states that there is no light perception in either eye, and an inability to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance. The B2 classification states that the person has the ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 20/600 and/or in a visual field of less and five degrees in the best eye, according to the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.
As of 3 Sept. 2024, China is in the lead with 53 gold metals, 40 silver and 22 bronze giving them a total of 115 metals. Great Britain is behind them with 30 gold, 18 silver and 13 bronze, giving them a total of 61 metals. The United States is behind Great Britain with 20 gold, 22 silver and 11 bronze, coming in with a total of 53 metals, according to paralympic.org.
You can watch the games on the Paralympic YouTube channel or the International Paralympic Committee website.
