98 Days To Go: Top Things To Know About Paralympic Games Paris 2024
Emmanuel Christian Thorli
The countdown is on!
With just 98 days to go until the Paralympic Games Paris 2024, we take a look at the top things to know about the Games ahead of the Opening Ceremony on 28 August.
Around 4,400 Para athletes from around the world will gather to compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports over 11 days of competition, in front of ecstatic fans.
All the Paralympic events will be held in and around Paris, including the suburbs of Saint-Denis and Versailles, and Vaires-sur-Marne, just outside the city, making it easy for spectators to travel between venues in the most iconic of locations in France’s capital.
So what are the main things not-to-be-missed at Paralympic Games Paris 2024?
1. Alongside London, Paris is the only city to have hosted three Summer Olympic Games. However, the 2024 edition will be the first time France has held the Summer Paralympic Games! The nation hosted the Winter Paralympic Games in 1992 in Albertville.
2. Paris 2024 instigated Paralympic Day, with the inaugural edition held on 8 October 2022. More than 40,000 people enjoyed sport demonstrations including a dramatic long jump contest in which athletes ran along an elevated track with cheering spectators inches away on either side.
3. Shortly after the Olympic flame is extinguished in Paris, another flame will be lit in Stoke Mandeville; the UK location where the Paralympic Games originated. On 25 August, 24 British athletes will run halfway through the Channel Tunnel to start the Paralympic Torch Relay and will be met halfway by 24 French athletes who will then carry the Paralympic flame to home soil.
4. Half of the 2.8 million tickets cost €25 or less and 500,000 will cost €15 each. Affordable tickets also include a Discovery Pass (or Pass Découverte) for €24, in which fans can access several Para sports sessions on the same day.