The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have opened in the French capital, with a stunning Opening Ceremony taking place outdoors for the first time in history. Athletes from a record 184 delegations paraded in the iconic Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées in front of thousands of fans. Fighter planes flew overhead, leaving red, white, and blue vapors in the colors of the French national flag before the delegations entered the square in alphabetical order.
About 4,400 athletes from around the world will compete in 22 sports. Athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairments are set to compete for a total of 549 gold medals. The Games will last for 11 days, until the 8th of September. According to the organizers, more than 2 million tickets have already been sold for the various events.
Sri Lankan Delegation
The Sri Lankan Paralympic team consists of 8 athletes, marking the largest athletics team Sri Lanka has ever sent to the Paralympics. Sri Lankans will compete in the F44 javelin event, T44 men’s 100 meters, T46 men’s 1500 meters, T42 men’s shot put, T42 men’s 100 meters, T47 women’s long jump, S9 men’s 400 meters freestyle swimming, and men’s open singles wheelchair tennis.
The letter component of a sports class indicates the type of sport. For instance, all swimming classes begin with S, in athletics, all track classes start with T, and field classes start with F. Generally, the number that accompanies the letter refers to the athlete’s level or type of impairment.
First Paralympic Games
The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy, in 1960 featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then, they have taken place every four years.
In 1976 the first Winter Games in Paralympics were held in Sweden, and as with the Summer Games, have taken place every four years, and include a Paralympics Opening Ceremony and Paralympics Closing Ceremony.
Since the Summer Games of Seoul, Korea in 1988 and the Winter Games in Albertville, France in 1992 the Games have also taken part in the same cities and venues.
