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The Paralympic Games also measure, with numerical values, the diversity of intensity of effort that each athlete can perform. Athletes of different classes can compete against each other as long as they have the same potential to perform any particular sport. For example, in team games, the sum of the different scores of the members of a team must not exceed a certain quota to ensure equal competence. You can read more about scores here.
Boccia and other events without Olympic equivalent
There are two sports at the Paralympic Games that do not have a specific equivalent during the Olympic Games: goalball and boccia.
The former is a team sport designed for blind and visually impaired athletes. It was designed in 1946 for World War II veterans who had lost their sight during the conflict. Men’s goalball made its debut at the 1976 Toronto Paralympics, while its women’s version appeared during the 1984 New York Paralympics. It is played in two 12-minute halves, with two teams of three players each.
The court is the same size as that of volleyball: 59 feet long and 30 feet wide. At each end of the court are two goals that cover the entire width of the playing field. The attacking team attempts to score by rapidly rolling a ball containing inner bells towards the opposing goal defended by the opponents. However, for the shot to count, the ball must bounce at least once in the thrower’s landing area; the defenders lie down to cover the goal. As in blind football, spectators must remain silent during play so that players and players can hear the ball.
Boccia is a sport practiced by wheelchair athletes with disabilities affecting motor function. Long practiced in amateur competitions, boccia made its debut at the 1984 Paralympic Games. It is one of the few disciplines that includes both men and women in the same competitions.
Differences between Paralympic and Olympic medals
Much has been made of the medals for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which included a piece of the Eiffel Tower. The fragment of the iconic Parisian monument is also present on the medals for the Paralympic Games, which will have one difference: on the reverse there will be an Olympic seal in Braille in honour of the French inventor of the writing system for the blind, Louis Braille.
Symbols of the Paralympic Games
During the Paris Olympics, fans were introduced to the Phryges, mascots inspired by the Parisian caps worn during the French Revolution. For the first time in history, the 2024 Paralympic Games will feature a mascot brandishing a racing blade.
The other novelty in the symbolism of the Paralympic Games is that this edition is the first in which the logo of the event coincides with that of the Olympic Games, a sign of greater inclusion between the two tournaments. The emblem features a gold medal, a flame and the Marianne, symbol of the revolution and of France as a nation. In the Olympic one, the Marianne dominates the five circles, while the logo of the Paralympic Games is not made up of the five circles but of the three.agitated“red, blue and green (mind, body and spirit).
The Paris Paralympic Games in figures
Along with London, Paris is the only city to have hosted three editions of the Summer Olympic Games, but the French capital had never hosted the Summer Paralympics. In fact, France had hosted the Winter Paralympics in Albertville in 1992.
Some 4,400 Paralympic athletes from around the world will compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports. On Wednesday, the first day of the event, 11 competitions will be held.
The venues for the 2024 Paralympic Games
As at the Olympic Games, all of Paris’ iconic venues will be present at the Paralympic Games: from the Palace of Versailles, where the Paralympic equestrian events will be held, to the Grand Palais, where the Paralympic wheelchair fencing and taekwondo events will be held, and Les Invalides, where the Paralympic archery matches will be held. The Eiffel Tower will also be the venue for the blind football matches. Roland-Garros will be the venue for the wheelchair tennis and sitting volleyball competitions.