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

10 days of intense competition await us at the Paris La Défense Arena, where the Para swimming will take place. With 141 finals on the programme, the show is guaranteed to go on in and around the pool!

Where?

All the races will be held in the Paris La Défense Arena, which hosted the swimming and water polo events during the Olympic Games.

In 2024, for the first time, the Arena, located in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine, 92), has been transformed into an Olympic swimming pool. The Paris La Défense Arena is an extraordinary facility in terms of its size, its capacity and its technology: 13 km of bleachers, 5,500 tonnes of framework, 28,632 m² of pitches, etc. While the arena has already welcomed more than two million spectators since it opened, with shows by the greatest international artists, conventions and seminars, and even rugby matches by Racing 92, its resident club, in 2024 it will be hosting swimming events for the very first time.  And it already has a rich history, with the Olympic exploits of Léon Marchand.

A symbol of modernity designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc, the Arena opened its doors in 2017.  Located in the city of Nanterre, it is equipped with the world's largest giant interactive screen and innovative technology.

When?

Apart from the days of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympic Games, Para swimming will be held every day from 29 August to 7 September.

What classification?

Para swimming is one of the historic sports of the Paralympic Games, as the discipline was already part of the programme at the Rome Games in 1960. Today, it is one of the most popular sports at the Paralympic Games. All athletes compete in disability categories,
so that each event is as fair as possible.

Para swimming classification is based on a combination of two elements:

• A number for the type of disability: the smaller the number, the greater the loss of function.
• A letter for the swimming style: - S: butterfly, backstroke and crawl, which emphasise the power of the upper limbs; - SB: breaststroke; - SM: triple and quadruple stroke.

S1-S10/SB1-SB9/SM1-SM10 - PHYSICAL DISABILITIES (1 TO 10)
Races may be contested by swimmers with very different types of disability, but for whom it is accepted that the ability to perform in the stroke in question is comparable.

S/SB/SM11-13 - VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS (11 TO 13)
→11: swimmers in this category are blind or have particularly restricted visual acuity. During races, these swimmers must wear opaque goggles to ensure fairness.
→12: swimmers in this category have better visual acuity than in category 11.
→13: swimmers in this category have a visual handicap that has the least impact on practice while still being sufficient to be accepted by international regulations.

S/SB/SM14 - INTELLECTUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISABILITIES (14 ONLY)
The intellectual disability of swimmers in this category, which must be detected before the age of 18, is a source of difficulty in learning, reproducing and memorising a technique, or in reacting to a start signal, all of which have an impact on performance.

Who?

14 is the number of representatives from the French Para swimming delegation at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 37 is the number of different nations that will be represented in these events. A host of stars will be taking part! We can mention for example :

• Abbas Karimi (USA): flag bearer for the Paralympic Refugee Team at Tokyo 2020 - category (S5).
• Anastasia Pagonis (USA): gold medallist in the 400 m freestyle (S11), setting a new world record in her first Paralympic Games - category (S11) or (SM11).
• Samuel Oliveira (BRA): He is emerging as the new American legend after Daniel Dias. He will be 18 for Paris 2024 -
  category (S5).
• Simone Barlaam (ITA): A 13-time world champion, 8-time European champion and winner of 4 medals at Tokyo 2020 - category (S9).
• Maksym Krypak: 7 medals in Tokyo
  Ihar Boki: 18 Paralympic medals to his name

How to follow the races?

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!