The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin with Wednesday’s opening ceremony in the heart of the French capital.
In a statement, the organisers said that Paris' historic square Place de la Concorde and famous Champs-Elysees Avenue will host the opening ceremony as 4,400 Paralympic athletes from 184 delegations will parade.
Filled with cafes and luxury shops, Champs-Elysees Avenue connects Place de la Concorde with Arc de Triomphe as the para-athletes' parade will be held between these two spots.
The ceremony will start at 8 p.m. local time (1800GMT).
The sports
Following the ceremony, the competitions will begin on Thursday, and this year's Paralympic Games will run through Sept. 8. The sporting events will be held in Paris and its suburbs.
The 2024 Paralympics feature 22 sports and 23 disciplines that include blind football, boccia, goalball, Para archery, Para athletics, Para badminton, Para canoe, Para cycling road, Para cycling track, Para equestrian, Para judo.
Others are: Para powerlifting, Para rowing, Para swimming, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, shooting Para sport, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.
The games will be held at 18 venues, including Stade de France, Stade Roland-Garros, the Eiffel Tower Stadium, Pont Alexandre III, and Grand Palais.
Historic games
Paris and France will host their first-ever Paralympic Summer Games.
The French capital previously hosted the Summer Olympics in July-August.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games have been held in the same city and at the same sporting venues since 1988.
Historically, the global games started solely for ex-servicemen who fought during the Second World War.
They later evolved to become the Paralympic Games which first took place in Rome, Italy, in 1960 featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then they have taken place every four years.
