Paris Prepares to Welcome the World for the Paralympic Games
Just weeks after the world witnessed the excitement of the Olympic Games in Paris, the city is about to host another spectacular event: the Paralympic Games. Beginning on August 28, the Paralympic Games will bring together over 4,000 athletes with physical and intellectual impairments from around the globe, competing in 22 sports over the next 11 days.
This edition of the Paralympic Games will make history as three National Paralympic Committees – Eritrea, Kiribati, and Kosovo – make their debut in the French capital. Additionally, 35 National Paralympic Committees will field a record number of female athletes, with 27 of those teams having more female athletes than male athletes.
The African continent, which has a rich history of producing talented athletes, will be well-represented at the Games. At the previous Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, African athletes won a total of 63 medals, including 21 gold medals. This marked a significant improvement from the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, where African athletes won 97 medals, including 36 gold medals.
So, which teams should you keep an eye on? Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa were the most successful teams at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, each winning four gold medals.
But what can we expect from the opening ceremony? Organizers have promised a spectacular show, with athletes parading down the famous Champs-Elysées to the ceremony at the Place de la Concorde. Artistic director Thomas Jolly, who also led the opening ceremony for the Olympics, has revealed that the event will "showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody," with "performances that have never been seen before."
Additional sources: AP – Paris 2024
