First-Time Hosting

While France capital has hosted the Olympic Games three times, including 1900, 1924 and 2024, this is the very first time in history that the Paralympic Games will be held in France!

The Paris 2024 Paralympics will take place from 28 August to 8 September, featuring as many as 4,400 athletes from around the world.

The first edition of the Games dates back to 1960 Rome.

First Shared Slogan 

“Games wide open”. This is the first shared slogan of the Olympic & Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

It is an invitation to the world to come and experience new emotions together.

It expresses an openness that will also triumph over differences: The differences between Paralympians and Olympians in the fact that France will be represented by a single team in all the events.

First Shared Mascot

For the first time, Paris 2024 presents the shared Olympics and Paralympics mascots: As a symbol of togetherness and freedom: The “Phryges”

Paralympic Phryge, proudly wears a running prosthetic leg. Paris 2024 aims to give maximum representation to people who are living with disabilities and to promote the inclusivity values of the Paralympics and of sport as a whole.

First Shared Emblem

Another first is that the emblem is the same for Olympics and the Paralympics, for which Paris 2024 shares the same level of ambition and demand.

It remains the same, with the only difference of Olympic five rings and Paralympic three Agitos. The logo combines three separate symbols –the gold medal, the flame and Marianne, representing France.

First Shared Torch Design

For the first time in history of the Olympics and Paralympics, the Games’ torch shares a symmetrical and single design, emphasizing the inclusion for Paris 2024. The only difference between them is that the Olympic rings decorate one of the torches and the Paralympic symbol, the agitos, the other. The torch embodies the spirit of the Paris Games: Equality, Water and Peacefulness.

After Olympic games, a second relay of 1,000 torchbearers will carry the Paralympic torch and again light a cauldron for the commencement of the Paralympic games.

The Big Day

The First Opening Ceremony outside a stadium!

Paris 2024 will mark the first time the Opening Ceremony of a Paralympic Games is held outside a stadium.

Athletes will parade through the heart of the French capital to the iconic Place de la Concorde.

During the Opening Ceremony on 28 August, the athletes will parade by some Paris' most beautiful landmarks, located along the route between the Champs-Elysees and the Place de la Concorde.

Medals awarded to athletes at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris have adorned with a piece of original iron metal from the Eiffel Tower.

On each medal (gold, silver and bronze), original iron from the Eiffel Tower is cut into a hexagon, the geometric shape that evokes France to the point of becoming its nickname.

Paralympics medals feature a view of the Eiffel Tower from underneath, and are stamped with Paris 2024 in braille – homage to the Frenchman who invented it.

22+1 Sport Disciplines

Twenty-two sports have featured at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in 23 disciplines (with para cycling including two disciplines – track and road).

The sports are:

Blind football, Boccia, Goalball, Para archery, Para athletics, Para badminton, Para canoe, Para cycling, Para equestrian, Para judo, Para powerlifting, Para rowing, Para swimming, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Shooting Para sport, Sitting volleyball, Wheelchair basketball, Wheelchair fencing, Wheelchair rugby, and Wheelchair tennis.

Shared & Exclusive Pictograms

The 23 Paralympic disciplines are represented by 15 Paralympic-only pictograms and eight pictograms that are shared with Olympic disciplines.

Each Paris 2024 pictograms is made up of three graphical elements: an axis of symmetry, a depiction of the ground and a representation of the sport that it illustrates.

The pictograms designed for Paralympic sports also pay tribute to the equipment used by athletes, including wheelchairs used in sports such as wheelchair fencing and wheelchair rugby, and the tappers used for vision impaired athletes in Para swimming.

Two Posters, One Story

The Paris 2024 Iconic Posters were created with a diptych design, bringing together the two Games. The Paralympic and Olympic Posters work independently, while combining to form a united image that tells the overall story of Paris 2024.

The Paralympic Poster includes an illustration of the three Agitos, the Paralympic symbol, and a reference to Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of Paralympic sport.

A total of 47 sports (18 Paralympic & 29 Olympic sports) and Eight Phryges are represented in the two posters.

11-Day Adrenaline Rush

For the first time in the sport history, France will be celebrating an 11-day adrenaline rush of the Paralympic Games in Paris, between 28 August and 8 September 2024.

Up to 4,400 Para athletes from across the globe will take centre stage at the largest Paralympic Games in history, featuring 549 medal events distributed across 269 sessions (morning, afternoon and evening).

Paris 2024 Paralympic Flame

The Paralympic flame will be lit shortly after the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics in Stoke Mandeville, the historic birthplace of Paralympic sport.

The flame will cross the sea via the Channel Tunnel. 24 British athletes will symbolically embark on the journey through the tunnel and will be joined halfway between the UK and France by 24 French athletes to hand over the flame and the energy of the Games.

Over the course of four days from 25 to 28 August 2024, some 1,000 Forerunners will carry the Paralympic flame to 50 cities throughout France.

First & Last Medal Winners

The athletes will not begin competing on Wednesday 28 August 2024, the day of the opening ceremony. Rather, the events will begin the following day, giving everyone the chance to enjoy this exceptional and unifying event.

The first Paralympic medal winners of the Paris 2024 will be chosen from among swimmers, taekwondoins and cyclists.

The very first gold medal of the Games will be awarded in Para cycling women’s C4-5 500m time trial on 29 August.

The last medals for Paris 2024 will go to canoeists, weightlifters, wheelchair basketball and marathoners before the closing ceremony.

A Paralympic First: Purple Track

In an Olympic and Paralympic first, track and field athletes compete on a purple track at the Stade de France.  It’s a move away from the more traditional red-brick clay color that fans are used to seeing.

The stadium now has a track in a lighter purple with service areas in a darker color, while grey was chosen for the turns at the end of the bend.

The 17,000 m2 track was produced by Italian company Mondo and transported to Paris in March. It also incorporates a ninth lane, up from previous eight.

Besides 160 Para athletics events, the stadium will also host the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

Iconic Paris Venues

 Some of the Paris 2024 Paralympic events happen in the most iconic landmarks in France capital.

The sporting excellence has combined with iconic French venues in Paris.

From the historic symbol of French royalty, the Chateau de Versailles for the Para equestrian events to the famous Grand Palais for wheelchair fencing and Para taekwondo competitions to Esplanade des Invalides for Para archery and to Eiffel Tower Stadium for Blind Football, and to Hotel de Ville for the start of the Marathon, to Champ de Mars (under the Eiffel Tower) for Para Judo and Wheelchair Rugby and to Pont Alexandre III for Para triathlon.

At The Foot of Eiffel Tower

What better location for watching blind football history unfold than at this iconic symbol of Paris?

Eight teams – Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, France, China, Japan, Colombia and Turkey – will play for the podium at the foot of Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower, between September 1 and 7, 2024.

Brazil have never lost a Paralympic tournament but the home nation and European Champions are training hard to upset the odds in front of the most iconic of French locations.

The Champ-de-Mars, a large public park, will host a temporary arena that can welcome up to 12,860 spectators.

All Para sports will be filmed and broadcast live for the first time in the history of the Paralympic Games, adding up to 300 hours of live coverage from each of the 22 sports. To compare, during past Games, spectators had access to 100 hours of coverage.

From 25 August, there will be live coverage of the Paralympic Torch Relay, while there will also be themed evenings and documentaries.

Don't forget to follow the action on Paralympic.org and the IPC YouTube channel. 

2^nd Paralympics: Badminton/Taekwondo

There will be no new disciplines at the Paralympic Games, but Badminton & Taekwondo will begin their second-ever Paralympics at Paris 2024.

These new Para sports will return to the Paralympics after making their debut at Tokyo 2020.

Para taekwondo and Para Badminton will be staged in Paris, with both sports seeing an increase in the number of medal events contested.

Don’t miss the actions at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena and the Grand Palais.

Paralympic spectators are back

Athletes are the stars of the Paralympic Games, but let’s not underestimate the power of a good audience.

Paris 2024 will be the first Paralympics in Europe since London 2012 and the first to be he held with spectators since Rio 2016.

Spectators will return to the sports arenas after two editions of the Paralympic Games where their number was restricted due to coronavirus countermeasures.

Paralympic fans from around the world will fill the stands at Paris 2024.

A Marathon For All

Feel like an elite athlete for a day when you take to the marathon courses used during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the first time in history, spectators will be invited to experience the event with the option of doing 42km or 10km.

People with disabilities will be able to compete on the 10km course along with other runners of all ages and abilities.

The “Marathon Pour Tous” is two races in the heart of the capital Everyone can take part in the event, whether they be a sportsperson or a beginner.

Women at Paris 2024

Gender parity takes another step forwards as the Paris 2024 will feature a record 235 medal events for women, eight more than at Tokyo 2020.

This number also represents a 28 percent increase on the 183 medal events for female athletes at the Athens 2004 Paralympics.

In addition to more medal events, there will be at least 1,859 slots for female athletes, 77 more than Tokyo 2020. This record number is almost double the 990 women at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

The overall number of participating females at Paris 2024 could increase further as there are 339 gender-free slots for the Games.

Paralympic Podiums

Designed with the same concept as the Olympic podium, the Paralympic podium stands out for its single-level configuration. The gold medalists stand in the center, behind a raised facade. A lateral ramp with a slight incline (5%).

Key figures:

68 podiums (23 Paralympic)

Shortest podium: 3 modules used (individual), 4 m long

Longest: 43 modules (in Football), 40 m

Paralympic podium’s height: one level at 20 cm

Olympic podium’s height: one level at 20 cm (silver & bronze), one level at 35 cm (gold)

23 types of modules (individual & team events)

640 + 45 replacement modules

Paralympic Village

Located in the French Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, the Paris 2024 village will host athletes and members of nearly 180 delegations during the Paralympic Games.

At the village, athletes will have the chance to enjoy services, free of charge.

The Village will provide residents with everything a neighbourhood should; restaurants, entertainment, beauty salon, healthcare, family areas, cultural offers, transportation services, a post office and green spaces.

The Olympic and Paralympic Village have 2,800 apartments to accommodate four to eight athletes each and are equipped with shared bathrooms and living areas. The accommodations have been equipped with a total of 345,000 pieces of furniture.

Climate Positive Games

Paris 2024 is promising to become the first climate positive Games. Its strategy looks at ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support projects that have a positive effect on climate.

Its primary objective will be achieved through:

Cost-effective and compact venue concept

Inclusion of low-carbon solutions for all activities within the venues

Use of renewable energy for all venues which will all be accessible by public transport

Sustainable catering plan

Responsible digital plan

Use of low-carbon temporary equipment

Reliance on principles of the circular economy.