Where are the Paralympic Games taking place?

The 2024 Paralympic Games is taking place in Paris, France.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will inspire a generation of young and newly disabled people to take up a sport or physical activity. WheelPower provides support and opportunities for disabled people to get into sport and lead active lives.

When are the Paralympic Games taking place?

The Paralympics will take place from 28 August to 8 September 2024.

Paralympic Games Schedule

Over 4,000 athletes will compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. There will be 549 events across 22 sports hosted at 19 different venues.

Lighting the torch for the Beijing Paralympic Torch Relay

History of the Paralympics

On the 29 July 1948, the day the Olympic Games opened in London, Dr Ludwig Guttmann organised the Stoke Mandeville Games on the lawns of Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Two teams of former servicemen and women who had spinal cord injuries competed in wheelchair archery as part of their rehabilitation programme.

The Games continued and in 1952, the first international Games took place when a team of athletes from the Netherlands travelled to the UK. In 1960, over 400 athletes travelled to Rome, Italy to take part in what would become known as the first Paralympic Games.

Since then they have grown in size and scope, with athletes from around the world competing in a wide range of sports. Today, the Paralympic Games are recognized as one of the world’s largest sporting events and an important platform for promoting disability rights and inclusion.

Paralympic Womens Basketball in action

Paralympic Games Athletes

Over 200 athletes are expected to compete as part of the ParalympicsGB team in Paris.

Britain’s first Paralympic gold was won at the 1960 Rome Games by Margaret Maughan who was competing in the Women’s Columbia round open archery event, scoring 484 points. Her feat was recognised when Maughan was chosen to light the Paralympic Cauldron during  the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Margaret was inducted to the Stoke Mandeville Hall of Fame in 2014. Margaret’s medal in on display at the National Paralympic Heritage Centre at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

Britain’s most successful Paralympian is Dame Sarah Joanne Storey DBE.  Her total of 28 Paralympic medals in swimming and cycling including 17 gold medals makes her the most successful British Paralympian of all time.

British Team

A number of athletes in the British team will have attended the WheelPower Inter Spinal Unit Games during their spinal cord injury rehabilitation, or attended the WheelPower National Junior Games or a sports Camp. Some have received sports equipment to help them compete or have trained or competed at Stoke Mandeville Stadium which is owned by WheelPower.

Paralympic Wheelchair rugby in action