The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8. This will be the first Paralympic Summer Games hosted by the French capital.
Just like the Olympic Games, the opening ceremony of the Para Games will take place outside a traditional stadium, with the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées set to be the stage for the theatrics.
Twenty-two sports will feature at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, in 23 disciplines (with para-cycling including two disciplines – track and road) and a total of 549 events distributed across 269 sessions.
Sportstar takes a look at some of the major venues for the Paralympics:
GRAND PALAIS
Paris 2024 Paralympics sport disciplines: Wheelchair Fencing, Para Taekwondo; Capacity: 8,000
The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, located in the heart of Paris, was constructed for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900. This venue showcases exhibitions by artists from around the world and also served as the site for the World Fencing Championships in 2010.
ROLAND GARROS
General view of Philippe-Chatrier Court. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Paris Paralympics 2024 sport disciplines: Wheelchair Tennis; Capacity: 34,000
The Stade Roland-Garros, situated in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, is renowned for its rich history in tennis.
This iconic venue, which hosts the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament each year, spans 12 hectares and features 18 clay courts, including the main court, Philippe-Chatrier Court, equipped with a retractable roof for inclement weather.
EIFFEL TOWER STADIUM
Eiffel Tower Stadium. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Paris 2024 Paralympics sport disciplines: Blind Football; Capacity: 12,860
The Champ de Mars public gardens, located next to the iconic Eiffel Tower, host numerous events and celebrations throughout the year. These lawns were previously used as marching grounds by the French military. A temporary outdoor setup will be constructed in the gardens to host the blind football event.
CHAMP DE MARS ARENA
The Champ de Mars Arena. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Paris 2024 Paralympics sport disciplines: Para Judo, Wheelchair Rugby; Capacity: 8,356
The Champ De Mars Arena is a 10,000-square-meter temporary structure located opposite the Ecole Militaire on one side and the Eiffel Tower on the other. The Arena, also known as the Grand Palais Ephemere, was created to host the art, fashion and sports events usually organised in the Nave while the Grand Palais was being renovated.
It will be the venue for the Para Judo and Wheelchair Rugby events, after which it will be dismantled.
ESPLANADE DES INVALIDES
The Archery venue can be seen from atop Les Invalides. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Paris 2024 Paralympics sport disciplines: Para Archery; Capacity: 8,000
Les Invalides is a group of buildings located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It was built by Louis XIV in 1687 as a military hospital and retirement home for war veterans. The Esplanade is the lawn area situated to the north of these buildings.
The complex now includes military museums and the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Esplanade des Invalides will host the Para Archery event during the Games.
CHATEAU DE VERSAILLES
The temporary outdoor arena outside the Chateau de Versailles. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Paris 2024 Paralympics sport disciplines: Para Equestrian; Capacity: 15,000 - 40,000
The Palace of Versailles served as the residence of King Louis XIV and other French royalty until the French Revolution. Following that, the site was transformed into a public museum and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.
There is a temporary outdoor arena outside the palace which will be used to host the different competitions of Equestrian.
STADE DE FRANCE
A general view inside the stadium during the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Paris 2024 Paralympics sport disciplines: Para Athletics; Capacity: 80,000
Created for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the Stade de France is the country’s largest stadium, which has hosted some of the biggest sporting events in the last three decades. The stadium is home to the national football and rugby teams.
This Summer, it will be host of the Para Athletics event from August 30.
Apart from these main locations, a few other centres will also host competitions during the Paris Paralympic Games. The South Paris Centre, located in the 15th arrondissement, will host Boccia, Goalball and Para Table Tennis.
The North Paris Arena will host the sitting volleyball event during the Paralympic Games.
The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome which was built in 2014, will be the site for the Para-Cycling Track events. The arena is also home to the French Cycling Federation, whose headquarters have been based at the velodrome since it opened
The town of Clichy-sous-Bois in Seine-Saint-Denis will host the start and finish of the Para-Cycling event from September 4 to 7.
The Para-Badminton and Para Powerlifting competitions will take place at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena, which has a capacity of 8,000 seats.
The Para Triathlon event will take place at Pont Alexandre III. Paris La Defense Arena in Saint-Etienne will host the Para Swimming, while the Para Canoe and Para Rowing events will take place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
The Bercy Arena will host Wheelchair Basketball while Para Shooting events will be exclusively held at the Châteauroux Shooting Centre.
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