The Paralympics also measures, with numerical values, the diversity of intensity of effort that each athlete can perform. Athletes from different classes can compete against each other so long as they have equal potential to execute 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 in order to ensure equal competitions. You can read more about the scores here.
Boccia and Other Events With No Olympic Equivalents
There are two sports at the Paralympics that have no specific correspondent during the Olympic Games. They are goalball and boccia.
The former is a team sport designed for visually impaired and blind 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 Paralympic Games, while its women’s version appeared during the 1984 New York Paralympic Games. 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 either end of the court are two goals that cover the full width of the playing field. The attacking team attempts to score by quickly rolling a ball containing inner bells toward the opposing goal defended by the opponents. For the shot to be valid, however, the ball must bounce at least once in the pitcher’s landing area; defenders lie down to cover the goal. As in blind soccer, spectators must remain silent during the game so that the players and players can hear the ball.
Boccia is played by wheelchair athletes with disabilities that affect motor function. Long practiced in amateur competitions, boccia made its debut at the 1984 Paralympic Games. It is one of the few disciplines to include both men and women in the same competitions
The Differences Between Paralympic and Olympic Medals
There has been much talk about the medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which featured a piece of the Eiffel Tower. The fragment of Paris’ iconic monument is also contained in the medals of the Paralympic Games, which will have one difference: On the back will be an Olympic Games stamp in Braille in honor of the French inventor of the writing system for the blind, Louis Braille.
The Symbols of the Paralympics
During the Paris Olympics fans became acquainted with the Phryges, the mascots inspired by the Parisian caps worn during the French Revolution. For the first time in history, the 2024 Paralympics will feature a mascot displaying a racing blade.
The other novelty in the symbolism of the Paralympics lies in the fact that this edition is the first in which the event’s logo 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, a symbol of the revolution and France as a nation. In the Olympic one, the Marianne dominates the five circles, while the Paralympics logo does not consist of the five circles but of the three “agitos” red, blue, and green (mind, body and spirit).
The Paris Paralympics, by the Numbers
Along with London, Paris is the only city to have hosted three editions of the Summer Olympics, but the French capital had never hosted the Summer Paralympics. In fact, France had hosted the Paralympic Winter Games in Albertville in 1992.
Some 4,400 Paralympic athletes from around the world will compete in 549 medal events in the 22 sports featured. Wednesday, the first day of the event, will feature 11 competitions.
The Venues of the 2024 Paralympics
As was the case in the Olympic Games, all of Paris’ iconic venues will be featured in the Paralympics, from the Palace of Versailles for Paralympic equestrian events and the Grand Palais for wheelchair fencing and Paralympic taekwondo competitions to Les Invalides for Paralympic archery. Also the Eiffel Tower, where soccer matches for the blind will be held. Roland-Garros will be the home of wheelchair tennis competitions as well as sitting volleyball.
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