The Paris 2024 Paralympics are firmly underway with the finest Paralympians from across the globe eyeing glory in the French capital.
Team GB will be looking for a repeat of their showing three years ago in Tokyo, where they finished second in the table with 124 medals – with a huge 41 of those being gold.
But exactly how many sports and events are there in the Paralympics and how many medals are being handed out to athletes?
Here is everything you need to know.
How many sports are there in the Paralympics?
There are 22 sports involved at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
20 of the sports saw their equivalent included on the Olympics schedule.
The remaining two, boccia and goalball, are exclusive to the Paralympics.
Boccia sees competitors compete against each other as individuals, pairs or as in teams of three and is somewhat comparable to the game of bowls.
One side are given six red balls, whilst the other gets six blue balls.
BC1 athletes play the ball with their hands or feet whilst an assistant helps to move their wheelchair. BC2 athletes throw without support and BC3 athletes use a pointer and ramp with the support of an assistant.
The individual or team with the most balls closest to the Jack win the game.
The sport made its debut at the Paralympics in 1984 and was originally developed for people with co-ordination disability.
Goalball, which debuted in 1976, sees teams made up of six players compete, but with only three on the court at any one time.
Athletes, who must be legally blind, wear opaque eyeshades to ensure fair competition.
The aim of the game is to throw the ball past the opposing team and into the net whilst staying on their hands and knees.
String is taped to the court markings to help competitors feel the lines on the court, whilst the ball contains bells so players can track its movement.
Given the importance of the sound of the ball, coaches, substitutes and spectators must stay silent during the game.
Team GB will contest 19 of the 22 sports, having not qualified for blind football, goalball or sitting volleyball.
Sports at the Paris 2024 Paralympics
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
Wheelchair tennis
How many medals are there in the Paralympics?
Across the 22 sports, there are 549 separate events at the Paris Paralympics.
This gives a total of 1,647 medals which are up for grabs, with 1,647 on offer in total.
The medals handed out contain original iron from the Eiffel Tower, which have been permanently removed from the iconic landmark during construction work over the years.
The iron is arranged into a hexagonal shape on the medals, with the hexagon being the geometrical shape of France.
Source link
