Paris set for 'most spectacular Paralympic Games'

Paris has promised a Games to retrieve arsenic it gets fresh to big nan 2024 Paralympics.

After nan delayed Tokyo Games successful 2021 had to beryllium held without fans because of nan Covid pandemic, and Rio 2016 was dogged by financial issues, nan unit is connected Paris to present an arena to rival or moreover amended nan London 2012 Games.

Wednesday's opening ceremonial astatine 19:00 BST will beryllium focused connected nan Place de la Concorde, pinch nan first of nan 549 golden medals to beryllium awarded nan pursuing day.

Action will reason pinch nan closing ceremonial astatine nan Stade de France connected Sunday, 8 September.

Nearly 2 cardinal tickets person been sold, pinch astir 500,000 still available. After nan occurrence of nan Paris Olympics, organisers opportunity this is only half-time.

The Paris Games will characteristic a grounds number of delegations and female athletes. There will besides beryllium tv sum successful much territories than ever before.

“I often opportunity that these will beryllium nan astir spectacular Paralympic Games ever, and I judge it successful my heart,” said International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons.

France has ne'er antecedently hosted a summertime Paralympics, though it did shape nan 1992 Winter Games successful Albertville.

Great Britain are represented by 215 athletes successful Paris crossed 19 sports – a flimsy simplification connected nan 227 who competed successful Tokyo – pinch 116 men and 99 women.

The oldest British typical is 54-year-old canoeist Jeanette Chippington, who first represented ParalympicsGB astatine nan 1988 Games successful Seoul. The youngest is swimmer Iona Winnifrith, aged 13, while 14-year-old array tennis subordinate Bly Twomey is besides portion of nan squad.

Leading nan British badge hopes is Sarah Storey, competing astatine her ninth Games and aiming to return her golden badge tally to 19. The 46-year-old will characteristic successful nan cycling roadworthy title and clip trial, arsenic she focuses connected roadworthy events alternatively than way competitions.

British hopes successful nan velodrome see Kadeena Cox and Jody Cundy among a beardown team, while successful athletics Hannah Cockroft aims to proceed her dominance of nan T34 100m and 800m and adhd to her 7 Paralympic golds.

Sammi Kinghorn is besides a awesome British badge dream connected nan track, and Will Bailey will purpose to triumph array tennis golden again aft he did truthful astatine Rio 2016.

Swimmer Alice Tai is backmost aft missing Tokyo done wounded and having her correct limb amputated beneath nan knee past year, while Para-archer Jodie Grinham will beryllium 28 weeks pregnant erstwhile she competes connected Friday.

In wheelchair tennis, 30-time Grand Slam champion Alfie Hewett intends to yet declare his first Paralympic gold, while successful Para-triathlon erstwhile schoolmates Lauren Steadman and Claire Cashmore will erstwhile again compete for gold pursuing an aggravated title astatine Tokyo 2020 – which Steadman won.

After an Olympics wherever France vanished 5th successful nan badge table, nan hosts want to transportation that momentum into nan Paralympics, some successful position of nan sporting title and nan ambiance surrounding nan event.

Among their hopes for golden is Para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, 1 of nan French flagbearers astatine nan opening ceremony. He is seeking to clasp his title from Tokyo successful nan PTS4 category.

"The Olympic Games were a immense success, pinch tons of spectators, awesome enthusiasm and a awesome atmosphere. Of course, we're each hoping to acquisition that astatine nan Paralympic Games too," said Hanquinquant.

"We've sewage immoderate iconic sites, and we're going to get an eyeful. Paris is nan astir beautiful metropolis successful nan world. I deliberation we're going to person a beautiful exceptional Paralympic Games.

"The first limb is over, now there's nan 2nd leg. Come and cheer america on, you won't beryllium disappointed. The statement goes on.”

Hanquinquant and nan organisers will dream nan River Seine is not an rumor during nan Paralympics, aft nan men's Olympic triathlon was delayed by a time and training sessions were cancelled because of mediocre h2o quality.

Among nan large world names successful Paris is Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira, nan fastest Paralympian successful nan world, who will beryllium hoping to clasp his T47 100m title. His world grounds stands astatine 10.29 seconds.

Germany’s Markus Rehm – known arsenic nan Blade Jumper – is going for his 4th Paralympic agelong jump title successful nan T64 category.

His world grounds of 8.72m is nan ninth longest jump of each time. His 2024 champion is 8.44m – a region which would person won Olympic metallic successful Paris and golden astatine nan erstwhile 4 Games.

Also successful Para-athletics, Valentina Petrillo is group to go nan first openly transgender jock to compete astatine nan Paralympics, having been selected to correspond Italy successful nan women's T12 classification for athletes pinch ocular impairments.

Petrillo, who transitioned successful 2019 and will tally successful nan 200m and 400m, told BBC Sport that her information astatine nan Games would beryllium an "important awesome of inclusion".

However, successful 2021, much than 30 female athletes signed a petition that was sent to nan president of nan Italian Athletics Federation and nan ministries for Equal Opportunities and Sport challenging Petrillo's correct to compete successful women's races.

As pinch nan Olympics, Russia and its state Belarus are banned from sending athletes to nan Games amid nan ongoing warfare successful Ukraine.

However, immoderate Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to return portion arsenic neutrals - nan Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) delegation will characteristic up to 90 competitors from Russia and 8 from Belarus.

All NPA were independently vetted to guarantee they person not supported nan warfare and are not contracted to nan military.

There will beryllium 8 athletes representing nan Paralympic Refugee Team pinch Zakia Khudadadi taking to nan mat successful nan K44 -47kg Para-taekwondo arena connected nan first time of action connected Thursday. Born successful Afghanistan, she represented her state successful Tokyo aft being safely evacuated successful nan days anterior to nan Games.

Three countries – Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo – will beryllium represented successful nan Paralympics for nan first time.