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The 2024 Paralympic Games is underway and 549 gold medals are up for grabs during the 11 days of the event.
ParalympicsGB will hope to build on their success after making history at Tokyo 2020. The team won medals in 18 sports – the most of any nation ever – and finished second in the table, behind China, with 124 medals in total. You can read our guide to the 25 British athletes to watch.
In the schedule guide below all times are in British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour behind French time.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
9:00am-10:17am: men’s long jump, T13 final and men’s 800m, T34 final
It’s finals galore at the Stade de France on Saturday morning as athletes set their sights on gold in competitions such as shot put, long jump, and the 100m and 200m sprints. Aiming for a podium spot will be ParalympicsGB contestants including Zak Skinner and Isaac Towers.
Para table tennis
4:00pm-5:00pm: men’s singles, MS9 gold medal match
5:00pm-6:00pm – women’s singles, WS4 gold medal match
Saturday is a big day for table tennis with finals in the men’s and women’s singles. A strong Chinese cohort will hope to continue their country’s successes after their Olympic counterparts dominated the table tennis podiums, however they are likely to face strong competition from the likes of three-time world champion Dutch superstar Kelly van Zon, and Japanese phenomenon Koyo Iwabuchi.
Blind football
7:00pm-9:00pm men’s gold medal match
Tensions will be high at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Saturday night when the Paris 2024 blind football champions are crowned. Will Brazil continue their reign as the undisputed Paralympics champions, or could this be the year another team takes the crown for themselves? Tune in from 7pm to find out.
Brits to watch
Charlotte Henshaw
The 37-year-old from Nottingham became a Paralympic champion as a Para canoe athlete at her first Games at Tokyo 2020. A former Para swimmer, Heshaw made the switch to canoeing after Rio 2016. She is now an eight-time world champion and will hope to continue her glittering record at Paris 2024.
Classification to understand
Para judo
Competitors at the Paralympics are visually impaired and are divided into two categories.
B1 athletes are completely blind, while B2 to B3 competitors are visually impaired.
The judokas are then divided into weight classes.
Must-watch events
Para athletics
7:00am-12:00pm: men’s and women’s marathon, T54 and T12
The last day of the Paralympics kicks off with an extraordinary display of stamina and endurance as runners take to the streets for a 42.2-kilometre route from Seine-Saint-Denis, the department at the heart of the Games, to central Paris. As they head into the city, they face a challenging 185-metre climb up Buttes-Chaumont Park and the Champs-Elysées. The route ends with a lap around the Arc de Triomphe and will finish in front of the Esplanade des Invalides, where crowds of supporters will cheer them over the finish line.
Para canoe
10:25am-10:33am: women’s kayak single 200m, KL1 final
11:33am-11:41am: men’s va’a single 200m, VL3 final
Gold medal hopefuls include ParalympicsGB’s Charlotte Henshaw and Jack Eyers. The latter makes his Games debut at Paris 2024 after progressing through the ranks. He joined the Great Britain Para canoe programme in 2017.
Wheelchair basketball
12:45pm-2:30pm: women’s gold medal match
A spirited game of wheelchair basketball is the perfect way to conclude your Paralympics viewing. ParalympicsGB women will hope to be in the gold medal match at Bercy Arena in the afternoon but they will face fierce competition from a dominant US side along the way. The women’s team have not yet made it to the podium so a medal of any colour would be a fantastic achievement for the side.
Brits to watch
David Weir
The 45-year-old from Wallington, Surrey, is one of the most successful and celebrated Para athletes in the history of the sport. He made his Paralympic debut at Atlanta 1996 and has since won 10 medals at the Games, including six golds. At London 2012, he competed in seven races in 10 days and won four gold medals – in the T54 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon. Weir heads to Paris 2024 hoping to achieve his first Paralympics medal since he completed this impressive feat.
Classification to understand
KL & VL
In para canoe ‘KL’ corresponds to a kayak and double paddle while ‘VL’ corresponds to a pirogue (va’a) and single paddle.
KL1 and VL1 athletes have no or extremely limited trunk function and no function in the legs.
KL2 and VL2 athletes have partial legs and trunk function. They are able to sit up straight in the kayak but may require a high-backed seat.
Athletes in the KL3 and VL3 classifications have full function of their trunk and partial function in the legs. They are able to sit with the trunk bent forwards in the kayak and can use at least one leg.
