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The 2024 Paralympic Games have begun, with 549 gold medals up for grabs over the 11 days of the event.
ParalympicsGB will be hoping to build on their success after making history at Tokyo 2020. The team won medals in 18 sports – the most of any nation ever – to finish second in the table behind China with a total of 124 medals. You can read our guide to the 25 British athletes to watch.
In the timetable below, all times are shown in British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour ahead of French time.
Events not to be missed
Para-athletics
09:00-10:17: Men’s Long Jump, T13 Final and Men’s 800m, T34 Final
Saturday morning will see a flurry of finals at the Stade de France, with athletes aiming for gold in events including shot put, long jump and the 100m and 200m sprints. ParalympicsGB competitors including Zak Skinner and Isaac Towers will be aiming for a podium finish.
For table tennis
4:00-5:00 PM: Men’s Singles, MS9 Gold Medal Match
5:00-6:00 PM – Women’s Singles, WS4 Gold Medal Match
Saturday is a big day for table tennis with the men’s and women’s singles finals. A strong Chinese cohort will be hoping to continue their country’s success after their Olympic counterparts dominated the table tennis stages, but they are likely to face stiff competition from the likes of three-time world champion Dutch superstar Kelly van Zon and Japanese phenomenon Koyo Iwabuchi.
Blind football
7:00-9:00 PM Men’s Gold Medal Match
Tension will be high in the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Saturday night as the blind football champions of Paris 2024 are crowned. Will Brazil continue their reign as undisputed Paralympic 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 in Tokyo 2020. Heshaw, a former para canoe swimmer, switched to canoeing after Rio 2016. She is now an eight-time world champion and hopes to continue her stunning record at Paris 2024.
Classification to understand
For judo
Participants in the Paralympic Games are visually impaired and are divided into two categories.
Athletes in category B1 are completely blind, while athletes in categories B2 to B3 are partially sighted.
The judokas are then divided into weight classes.
Events not to be missed
Para-athletics
07:00-12:00: Men’s and Women’s Marathon, T54 and T12
The final day of the Paralympics begins with an extraordinary display of endurance and perseverance, 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 the centre of Paris. As they enter the city, they will face a 185-metre climb over Buttes-Chaumont Park and the Champs-Elysées. The route ends with a lap around the Arc de Triomphe and finishes in front of the Esplanade des Invalides, where crowds of supporters will cheer them across the finish line.
Para canoe
10:25-10:33 am: Women’s Kayak Individual 200m, KL1 Final
11:33-11:41 am: Men’s single 200m, VL3 final
Gold medal contenders include Charlotte Henshaw and Jack Eyers of ParalympicsGB. The latter is making his debut at the Paris 2024 Games after rising through the ranks. He joined the Great Britain Para canoe programme in 2017.
Wheelchair basketball
12:45-2:30pm: Women’s Gold Medal Competition
A spirited game of wheelchair basketball is the perfect way to end your Paralympics viewing evening. ParalympicsGB women will be hoping to win the gold medal in the afternoon at the Bercy Arena, but they will face stiff competition from a dominant American team on the way. The women’s team have yet to make it to the podium, so a medal of any colour would be a fantastic achievement for the team.
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 gold. 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 will head to Paris 2024 hoping to win his first Paralympic medal since achieving this impressive feat.
Classification to understand
KL and VL
In the para canoe, ‘KL’ stands for a double-paddle kayak, while ‘VL’ stands for a single-paddle pirogue (va’a).
In KL1 and VL1 athletes there is no or very limited trunk function and no function in the legs.
KL2 and VL2 athletes have partial leg and torso function. They can sit upright in the kayak, but may need a high back seat.
Athletes in the KL3 and VL3 classifications have full trunk function and partial leg function. They can sit in the kayak with the torso bent forward and can use at least one leg.
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