The 2024 Summer Paralympics (French: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 2024), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and branded as Paris 2024, is the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an upcoming international multi-sport parasports event governed by the International Paralympic Committee, to be held in Paris, France, from 28 August to 8 September 2024. These games mark the first time Paris will host the Paralympics in its history and the second time that France will host the Paralympic Games, as Tignes and Albertville jointly hosted the 1992 Winter Paralympics.
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Location | Paris, France |
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Motto | Games Wide Open (French: Ouvrons Grand les Jeux)[1][2] |
Nations | 170 (including NPA and Refugee Team)[3] |
Events | 549 in 22 sports |
Opening | 28 August[4] |
Closing | 8 September[4] |
Stadium | Place de la Concorde (Opening ceremony) Stade de France (Closing ceremony)[5] |
Summer Winter
2024 Summer Olympics |
Bidding process
editAs part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics must also host the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[6]
Due to concerns over a number of cities withdrawing in the bid process of the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics, a process to award the 2024 and 2028 Games simultaneously to the final two cities in the running to host the 2024 Summer Olympics; Los Angeles and Paris, was approved at an Extraordinary IOC Session on 11 July 2017 in Lausanne.[7] Paris was understood to be the preferred host for the 2024 Games. On 31 July 2017, the IOC announced Los Angeles as the sole candidate for the 2028 Games, opening Paris up to be confirmed as hosts for the 2024 Games. Both decisions were ratified at the 131st IOC Session on 13 September 2017.[8]
In February 2018, it was reported that the IOC and organizing committee had discussed moving the Olympics and Paralympics ahead by one week from their original scheduling, so that the Paralympics will fall within the school holiday period.[9]
Development and preparations
editVenues
editAll the Paralympic events will be held in and around Paris, including the suburbs of Saint-Denis and Versailles, & Vaires-sur-Marne which is just outside the city environs.[10]
Grand Paris zone
editVenue | Events | Capacity | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Stade de France | Closing Ceremony | 77,083 | Existing |
Athletics (Track and Field) | |||
Paris La Défense Arena | Swimming | 15,220 | |
Porte de La Chapelle Arena | Badminton | 6,700 | Additional |
Powerlifting | 7,000 | ||
Clichy-sous-Bois | Cycling (Road) | Temporary | |
North Paris Arena | Sitting volleyball | 6,000 | Existing |
Parc Georges Valbon - La Courneuve | Para-marathon (start) | Temporary |
Paris Centre zone
editVenue | Events | Capacity | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Bercy Arena | Wheelchair Basketball | 15,000 | Existing |
Grand Palais Éphémère | Judo | 8,356 | |
Wheelchair Rugby | |||
Eiffel Tower Stadium (Champ de Mars) | Football 5-a-side | 12,860 | Temporary |
Les Invalides | Archery, Para marathon (finish) | 8,000 | |
Grand Palais | Taekwondo | 6,500 | Existing |
Wheelchair Fencing | |||
Pont Alexandre III | Triathlon | 1,000 | Temporary |
Stade Roland Garros | Wheelchair Tennis | 12,000 | Existing |
South Paris Arena | Boccia | 9,000 | |
Table tennis | 6,650 | ||
Goalball | 7,300 |
Versailles zone
editVenue | Events | Capacity | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Gardens of the Palace of Versailles | Para equestrian (Dressage) | 80,000 (22,000 + 58,000) |
Temporary |
Outlying venues
editVenue | Events | Capacity | Status |
---|---|---|---|
National Olympic Nautical Stadium of Île-de-France (Vaires-sur-Marne) | Para canoe | 12,000 | Existing |
Para rowing | 14,000 | ||
Vélodrome de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines | Cycling (Track) | 5,000 | |
National Shooting Centre (Châteauroux) | Shooting | 3,000 |
Non-competitive venues
editVenue | Use | Capacity | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Place de la Concorde | Opening Ceremony | 65,000 | Temporary |
L'Île-Saint-Denis | Paralympic Village | 17,000 | Additional |
Parc de l'Aire des Vents, Dugny | Media Village | – | Temporary |
Le Bourget Exhibition Centre and Media Village | International Broadcast Centre | – | Existing |
Paris Congress Centre | Main Press Centre | – |
Medals
editThe designs of the medals for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were unveiled on 8 February 2024;[11] as with the Olympic medals, the front of the Paralympic medals feature an embedded original piece of scrap iron from the Eiffel Tower in the shape of a hexagon, engraved with the Paris 2024 emblem. The obverse contains a design of the Eiffel Tower viewed from below, inscriptions in braille (a writing system whose development has been credited to French educator and inventor Louis Braille), and line patterns that can be used to identify the medals by touch.[12][13]
Volunteers
editIn March 2023, applications to be volunteers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were released.[14] By May 2023, 300,000 applications had been received.[15] Applicants were made aware of the status of their application in late 2023, of which 45,000 were expected to be assigned a volunteering position.[16]
Transportation
editAccessibility in the transportation network for people with disabilities has been a concern; ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics, Paris invested €1.5 billion towards improving the accessibility of transport and local businesses, including €125 million to upgrade its bus fleet to accommodate passengers with wheelchairs, and funding the purchase of wheelchair-accessible taxicabs by operators. However, accessibility of the Paris Métro remains limited; as of May 2024, only one of its 16 lines was wheelchair-accessible—a shortcoming that has faced criticism from disability advocates and IPC president Andrew Parsons.[17][18][19]
The Games
editOpening ceremony
editThe opening ceremony will be held on 28 August 2024 at Place de la Concorde. Directed by Thomas Jolly and with choreography by Alexander Ekman, the ceremony will be themed around the human body and "history and its paradoxes".[20]
Sports
editThe programme for the 2024 Summer Paralympics was announced in January 2019, with no changes to the 22 sports from the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[21][22][23] The first draft of the event schedule was released on 8 July 2022, with 549 events in 22 sports. A record 235 medal events will be women's events, an increase of eight over 2020; factoring these events and mixed-gender events, the number of female participants in the Paralympics is projected to be at least double of that of Sydney 2000.[22][23]
The IPC considered bids for golf, karate, para dance sport, and powerchair football to be added to the Paralympic programme as new sports. Bids were also made for CP football (football 7-a-side) and sailing—the two sports that had been dropped for 2020—to be reinstated. While CP football was selected for consideration by the IPC, it was rejected due to a lack of reach in women's participation.[21]
In January 2021, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) was declared non-competent by the IPC for violations of its Athlete Classification Code, and the sport was dropped from the Paris 2024 programme. On 22 September 2021, the IPC conditionally reinstated wheelchair basketball following reforms made by the IWBF, subject to compliance measures.[24]
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Calendar
editThe International Paralympic Committee has approved the final schedule and dates for upcoming Summer Paralympics games were released on 2 February 2023.[25]
- All times and dates use Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Gold medal events | CC | Closing ceremony |
August-September 2024 | August | September | Events | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28th Wed |
29th Thu |
30th Fri |
31st Sat |
1st Sun |
2nd Mon |
3rd Tue |
4th Wed |
5th Thu |
6th Fri |
7th Sat |
8th Sun | |||
Ceremonies | OC | CC | — | |||||||||||
Boccia | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 6 | ● | ● | 3 | 11 | |||||
Football 5-a-side | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
Goalball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | |||||
Para archery | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |||||
Para athletics | 14 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 24 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 4 | 164 | |||
Para badminton | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 14 | 16 | ||||||||
Para canoe | ● | 5 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||||
Para cycling | Road | 19 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 34 | ||||||||
Track | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 17 | |||||||||
Para equestrian | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 | |||||||||
Para judo | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | ||||||||||
Para powerlifting | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 | ||||||||
Para rowing | ● | ● | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
Para swimming | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 141 | |||
Para table tennis | ● | 2 | 5 | 3 | ● | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 31 | |||
Para taekwondo | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | ||||||||||
Para triathlon | 7 | 4 | 11 | |||||||||||
Shooting para sport | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 | ||||||
Sitting volleyball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
Wheelchair basketball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
Wheelchair fencing | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 16 | ||||||||
Wheelchair rugby | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
Wheelchair tennis | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | ||||
Daily medal events | 0 | 22 | 42 | 49 | 60 | 54 | 50 | 63 | 63 | 57 | 75 | 14 | 549 | |
Cumulative total | 0 | 22 | 64 | 113 | 173 | 227 | 277 | 340 | 403 | 460 | 535 | 549 | ||
August-September 2024 | August | September | Events | |||||||||||
28th Wed |
29th Thu |
30th Fri |
31st Sat |
1st Sun |
2nd Mon |
3rd Tue |
4th Wed |
5th Thu |
6th Fri |
7th Sat |
8th Sun |
Participating National Paralympic Committees
editThe following is a list of National Paralympic Committees who have at least one athlete who has qualified for the 2024 Paralympics. Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo are expected to make their Paralympic debuts at these games.[26]
NPCs returning to the Paralympics after an absence include Bangladesh (2008). East Timor, Myanmar, Suriname and Tonga (2016).[citation needed]
Number of athletes by National Paralympic Committee
As of 24 August 2024[update]
Marketing
editEmblem and branding
editThe emblem for the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics (a stylized rendition of Marianne) was unveiled on 21 October 2019 at the Grand Rex. For the first time, a Paralympic Games will share the same emblem as their corresponding Olympics, with no difference or variation. Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet stated that the decision was intended to reflect the two events sharing a single "ambition", explaining that "in terms of legacy we believe that in this country we need to strengthen the place of sport in the daily life of the people, and whatever the age, whatever the disability or not, you have a place and a role to play in the success of Paris 2024".[29]
The official posters for these Olympics and Paralympics by Ugo Gattoni (which features a stylized Paris landscape with themed depictions of its landmarks and venues) were also designed as a single piece, split in halves representing each event.[30]
Mascots
editThe mascots of Paris 2024, The Phryges, were unveiled on 14 November 2022. They are a pair of anthrophomorphic Phrygian caps, which have been regarded as a historical symbol of liberty and freedom in France. The Phryge representing the Paralympics wears a running blade on one of its legs, marking the first time since 1994 that a Paralympic mascot has been depicted with a visible disability.[31]
Broadcasting
editFor the first time, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) will provide live telecasts for all 22 Paralympic sports—an increase from 19 in Tokyo.[32] In 175 countries where broadcast rights have not been sold, the Games will be streamed on YouTube via a partnership with the IPC, including event coverage, highlights and YouTube Shorts content, as well as multi-view support.[33]
In conjunction with the Olympic Games, the French national public television broadcaster France Télévisions acquired rights to the 2024 Summer Paralympics,and will made the broadcasts primarily on their main channels France 2 and France 3.[34] On 28 August 2020, Channel 4 renewed its rights to the Paralympics in the United Kingdom through 2024;[35] coverage will be broadcast on Channel 4 television, streaming, and Channel 4 Sport channels on YouTube. Channel 4 notably hired actress Rose Ayling-Ellis as a presenter, with the broadcaster stating that she would be the first deaf person to have ever served as a correspondent on a live sports broadcast.[36][37]
CBC Sports renewed its Canadian rights to the Paralympics for 2024 and 2026, in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee; this will be the final on-air role for long-time CBC Sports anchor Scott Russell before his retirement from broadcasting; Russell had covered 16 Olympic Games and hosted six during his 40-year career at the network.[38][39] In the United States, NBC Sports is planning a major expansion of its coverage, which will include features from its Olympics broadcasts such as "Gold Zone" and multi-view on Peacock.[37][40]
See also
edit- Other Paralympics celebrated in France:
References
edit- ^ "New Paris 2024 slogan "Games wide open" welcomed by IOC President". International Paralympic Committee. 25 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "Le nouveau slogan de Paris 2024 "Ouvrons grand les Jeux" accueilli favorablement par le président du CIO" [Paris 2024's new slogan "Let's open up the Games" welcomed by the IOC President] (in French). International Paralympic Committee. 25 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "Paris 2024: Record number of delegations and females to compete". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Paris 2024 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Stade de France".
- ^ "Paralympics 2012: London to host 'first truly global Games'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "IOC Executive Board approve joint awarding plans for 2024 and 2028 Olympics". Inside the Games. 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Paris set to host 2024 Olympics, Los Angeles to be awarded 2028 Games by IOC". ABC News. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ Butler, Nick (7 February 2018). "Paris 2024 to start week earlier than planned after IOC approve date change". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Competition Venue Concept Map". Paris 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Paris 2024: the Olympic and Paralympic medals have been revealed". Olympics. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Paris 2024: Eiffel Tower metal in Olympics and Paralympics medals". BBC Sport. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Paris 2024 unveils Paralympic and Olympic Games medals". Paralympic. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Volunteer Programme: Timeline and application process revealed". Olympics. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Over 300,000 applications for 45,000 volunteer places at Paris 2024". Inside The Games. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "How to Apply to Volunteer at the Paris 2024 Olympics". AFAR. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "The Paralympics are coming to Paris. Will Paralympians be able to get around?". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Paris 2024: Paralympics 'shame' in lack of Metro disabled access". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "As 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Approach, Paris's Metro Is Mostly Off-Limits to the Disabled". Bloomberg.com. 26 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Paralympics set to dazzle the world". www.insidethegames.biz. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Paris 2024: IPC announces sports programme". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Paris 2024 reveals session-by-session competition schedule". Paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Paris 2024 Paralympic Competition Schedule by session" (PDF). Paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Wheelchair basketball conditionally reinstated on to Paris 2024 programme". Insidethegames.biz. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Paris 2024 Schedule released". Paralympic.org. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Paris 2024: Record number of delegations and females to compete". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics GB team for Paris 2024 confirmed with highest proportion of female athletes ever". ParalympicsGB. 20 August 2024.
- ^ "IPC to support Refugee Paralympic Team at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games". IPC. 13 December 2023.
"The Refugee Paralympic Team at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games". IPC. 9 July 2024.
"IPC unveils largest Refugee Paralympic Team ever for Paris 2024". UNHCR. 9 July 2024. - ^ "Paris 2024 unveil new shared Olympic and Paralympic Games emblem". insidethegames.biz. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Muñana, Gustavo (5 March 2024). "'Surrealist' diptych poster for Paris 2024 Olympics". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ Belam, Martin (14 November 2022). "Meet the Phryges: Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic mascots unveiled". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ McLean, Heather. "Paris 2024: The IPC on making the Paralympic Games the best ever while changing culture and attitudes towards disability". SVG Europe. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "IPC and YouTube team-up to ensure Paris 2024 are the most accessible Paralympics yet". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "France Télévisions is official broadcaster for Paris 2024". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "Channel 4 extends Paralympics commitment with Paris 2024 deal". SportBusiness. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ Bickerton, Jake. "C4 to stream Paris 2024 Paralympics on YouTube". Broadcast. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b Goldbart, Max (22 August 2024). "Paralympics 2024: How Networks In The U.S. & UK Want Their Coverage To Leave A Legacy". Deadline. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
- ^ "CBC Sports broadcaster Scott Russell to retire from hosting duties after Paris Paralympics". CBC Sports. 27 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "CBC/Radio-Canada announced as Canadian broadcast host of 2024, 2026 Paralympics". CBC Sports. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ Cobb, Kayla (15 August 2024). "Peacock Extends Hit Olympics Commentary Series 'Gold Zone,' Multiview Feature to Paris 2024 Paralympics". TheWrap. Retrieved 23 August 2024.