2024 Paralympic Games in France: When are they and which sports are included?

Paris, and perhaps the rest of France, may be feeling subdued this week after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games came to an end with a spectacular closing ceremony on Sunday.

French media has joked about the feelings of ‘JOstalgie’ (a portmanteau of ‘Jeux Olympiques’ and ‘nostalgie’) that has swept the country in the wake of the Games and the creation of new national heroes such as swimmer Léon Marchand. 

Read more: 10 facts about amazing French olympic swimmer Léon Marchand

However, for those still aching for an Olympic fix, there is a remedy as the 2024 Paralympic Games are around the corner. 

The Paralympic Games will begin on August 28, with an opening ceremony along the iconic Champs-Élysées and around the Place de la Concorde. 

Sporting events will begin the next day, and run until September 8 (some team sports such as wheelchair rugby and football have actually already begun their qualifying sessions).

Events, as with the Olympics, will be held across Paris, at many of the same iconic venues. 

A closing ceremony will also take place on September 8, where the baton for hosting the event will be passed onto Los Angeles. 

Which sports are included? 

More than 4,000 athletes will compete across a range of 549 medal events split into over 20 disciplines. 

Many of the events are the same as their Olympic counterparts, particularly in the fields of athletics and swimming. 

As with the Olympics, these are split into dozens of different events.

Paralympic versions of wrestling and martial arts – including taekwondo and judo – as well as rowing, shooting, archery, and cycling will take place. 

A series of Paralympic equestrian events will be held at the Versailles Palace.

Some other events have wheelchair specific versions, including wheelchair fencing, regular and table tennis, and team sports including basketball and football. 

Unique sports featured in the Paralympics include goalball, a type of handball for visually impaired athletes, and boccia, a type of petanque played by athletes in wheelchairs. 

Can I still buy tickets? 

Tickets for many events are still available with varied prices - but some are at €15.

If you want to see the opening ceremony – which will again make history as the first to be held outside of a stadium – it will cost at least €450. 

Tickets to certain football matches played underneath the Eiffel Tower cost upwards of €50, and, as usual, the cost of watching medal events as opposed to preliminary heats is more expensive. 

However, tickets are still available for as little as €15 for a number of events including wheelchair basketball, swimming, table tennis, and volleyball.

Family bundles – which see children’s tickets drop to €10 if accompanied by two adults – and ‘day passes’, where you can watch multiple events starting at €24, are also on offer. 

All tickets can be purchased via the official Paris 2024 site here. 

Unlike with tickets for the Olympic Games, these tickets are not being released in batches or waves, but on a first come first served basis. 

Read more: Paris Olympics hailed as most spectacular of all time around world