Paris 2024 Paralympics | Programme, favourites... Everything you need to know about the Para athletics events

From 30 August to 8 September, the Para athletics events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held at the Stade de France. At the Stade de France, the athletes in this discipline will have to give their all to win precious medals.

Where will the Para athletics competitions take place?

The 164 Para athletics medal events will be held at the Stade de France. During the Olympic Games, this stadium hosted rugby 7-a-side and athletics. It was here that the French men's team became Olympic rugby sevens champions, and that Armand Duplantis of Sweden broke the world pole vault record.

Para athletics brings together the largest number of athletes and events. It is open to a wide range of physical, visual and mental disabilities. Contrary to popular belief, the family of events most represented at the Paralympic Games is, far ahead of all the others, the throws (37% of events), and in particular the shot put.

When will the Para athletics events take place?

Ten days have been set aside for the Para athletics competitions at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The competitions will run from Friday 30 August to Sunday 8 September, with 169 medal events.

What are the classification rules for Para athletics?

To take part in competitions, you need to be assigned a disability class. The tens digit corresponds to the disability family, and the units to the degree of disability (decreasing). The number is preceded by a ‘T’ (Track) for races and jumps and an ‘F’ (Field) for throws.

• T/F 11-13: visual impairments
• T/F 20: intellectual disabilities
• T/F 31-34 : cerebral palsy (wheelchair races/throws)
• T/F 35-38 : people with cerebral palsy (standing races/throws)
• T/F 40-41: people of short stature
• T/F 42-47: amputations of upper limbs or similar and orthopaedic disabilities of lower limbs excluding amputations
• T51-54 & F51-57 : people with spinal cord injuries or similar (wheelchair races & seated throws)
• T/F 61-64 : athletes with lower limb orthopaedic devices

What Para athletics events are on the programme?

Para athletics brings together the largest number of athletes and events:

• track events: 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m, 4 x 100 m relay
• jumps: high jump, long jump
• throws: shot put, discus, javelin and club
• off-stage: Para marathon

Para athletics has two major differences from athletics:

• the allocation of two lanes to a visually impaired athlete and his or her guide: as a result, there are only 4 places in the final of the 100 m and 400 m events
• the organisation of seated throwing events, in which each athlete tries 6 times in succession

Who are the expected Para athletics stars?

Among the French athletes selected for the Para athletics events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, local hero Charles-Antoine Kouakou is a strong medal contender. Paralympic champion in the 400 m T20 at Tokyo 2020, he will be going for another gold medal. The 34-strong French delegation is also highly ambitious, with Timothée Adolphe, Arnaud Assoumani, Dimitri Pavadé, Pierre Fairbank, Nantenin Keïta and Trésor Makunda also taking part.

Other athletes expected to shine at the Stade de France include Markus Rehm, Fleur Jong, Hannah Cockroft and Marcel Hug.

How can you attend to the Para athletics events?

Tickets are available from the official Paris 2024 ticket office. For the return match after the Olympic Games, take advantage of the opportunity and treat yourself to a second dose of happiness and thrills!