Paris Paralympics 2024 schedule: When to watch the key events

The key events to tune into during each day of Paris 2024, including dates, times, and the British competitors to keep an eye out for

The 2024 Paralympic Games begins with the opening ceremony in Paris on Wednesday August 28, with 549 gold medals up for grabs across 11 days of competition. 
ParalympicsGB will hope to build on their success after making history at Tokyo 2020. The team won medals across 18 sports – the most of any nation ever – and finished second in the table behind China with 124 medals overall. You can also read our guide to the 25 British athletes to watch. 
In the schedule guide below all times are in British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour behind French time.  
Boccia10:40am-1:00pm: men’s and women’s individual, BC1 BC2 and BC4 pools Kick off your Paralympics viewing with a nail-biting game of boccia. It’s one of just two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympics counterpart – the other being goalball. Great Britain’s Claire Taggart, world No 1 for the entirety of 2023, will hope for a strong start alongside Paralympics debutant and British counterpart Kayleigh Haggo.
Para cycling track 11am-11:19am: women’s 500m time trial, C4-5 qualifier 2:45pm-3:12pm: women’s 500m time trial, C4-5 final ParalympicsGB royalty Kadeena Cox will look to add a seventh medal to her collection on the first day of the competition. If gold is your main currency, then tune in for the women’s Para cycling track time trial final at 2:50pm, which will see the first Paris 2024 champion crowned. 
Para swimming 5:35pm-5:42pm: men’s 100m butterfly, S14 final 7:38pm-7:49pm: women’s 200m freestyle, S5 final Medals are up for grabs for the swimmers on the first day of the Games; with freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke all featuring on the programme. Italian swimming sensation Simona Barlaam, who won four medals at his first Paralympic Games in 2021, is sure to get the Paris La Defense Arena crowds on their feet and British competitors including Toni Shaw and William Ellard will hope to kick-start their campaigns with a spot on the podium. 
David Smith Britain’s most successful boccia player of all time, David Smith, 35, has the chance to add a sixth medal to his Paralympic collection at his fifth Games. He made his Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, in the gold-winning British boccia team. Smith’s dominance in the BC1 category has continued ever since – at Rio 2016 he seized the individual gold medal and in 2018 he cemented his status as number one player at the World Championships in Liverpool. 
BC1-4Boccia is split into four classes. BC1 and BC3 athletes may have assistance, while BC2 and BC4 athletes compete independently. 
BC1 players are typically dependent on a powered wheelchair and may throw the ball with the hand or foot, while BC3 competitors can use a ramp to deliver the ball – and both may compete with an assistant. 
While sports assistants for BC1 players are positioned behind the playing area and intervene at the players’ request, the assistants for BC3 players keep their backs to the game and are only present to carry out the player’s commands. 
Para swimming9:36am-9:54am: women’s 400m freestyle, S11 heats Blind twin sisters Scarlett and Eliza Humphrey will make their debut Paralympics appearance in Paris. Representing ParalympicsGB in the S11 category for blind or nearly blind swimmers, they will race along with their competitors in blacked-out goggles to ensure fairness. The pair made history in June 2022 by becoming the first twins to compete for Great Britain at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira.
Para cycling track 1:57pm-2:22pm: men’s 1,000m time trial, C4-5 final ParalympicsGB veteran Jody Cundy heads to Paris for his eighth Games, where he will compete in the C4-5 1,000m time trial alongside British newcomers Blaine Hunt and Archie Atkinson. Cundy will look to add a thirteenth Paralympics medal to his impressive record. However the three British cyclists will face fierce competition from Spain’s Alfonso Cabello, who clinched gold and set a new world record at Tokyo 2020.
Para athletics6:30pm-6:37pm: men’s 100m, T47 finalBrazil’s Petrucio Ferreira, an icon of Para sprinting, will hope to retain his world title at Paris 2024. The Paralympic Games hosts a range of 100m races, ensuring they are inclusive to athletes in all physical, vision and intellectual impairment classifications. Athletes competing in the T47 classification usually have an impairment or amputation below the wrist or elbow.
Maisie Summers-NewtonSince her international debut in 2018, Maisie Summers-Newton, 22, has won titles at all levels including the Paralympics, World, European, and Commonwealth events. At Tokyo 2020, she became a double Paralympics champion, winning both the SB6 100m breaststroke and SM6 200m individual medley finals. A force to be reckoned with, Summers-Newton will hope to build on her successes at her second Paralympic Games. 
Para swimming Swimming classifications are split into three categories. ‘S’ (swimming) includes butterfly, backstroke, and crawl; ‘SB’ for swimming breaststroke; and ‘SM’ (swimming multi) includes multi-swimming events. 
The number that follows these letters correspond to the athlete’s physical or vision impairments. S1 to S10, SB1 to SB9, and SM1 to SM10 correspond to physical impairments while S, SB, and SM11 to 13 relate to vision impairments. 
The greater the number, the less severe the athlete’s limitations. 
Para taekwondo9:20am-9:31am: men’s +80kg, K44 round of 16Para taekwondo will feature in the Paralympics for a second time following its debut at Tokyo 2020. It has one key difference to its Olympics counterpart – kicks to the head are not allowed. ParalympicsGB’s Matt Bush became Britain’s first ever male Para taekwondo athlete to win World Championship gold in 2019. He will look to build on his success at his first Paralympics. 
Para table tennis4pm-5pm: men’s doubles, MD4 gold medal matchTable tennis is the third largest Paralympics sport in terms of athlete numbers, with more than 40 million competitive players in over 100 countries worldwide. All being well, ParalympicsGB duo Robert Davies and Tom Matthews will have made it to the gold medal match on Saturday evening. However, they face fierce competition from a strong French cohort who will hope to build on their successes on home soil.  
Para athletics 6:35pm-6:42pm: men’s 100m, T38 finalBritish sprinter Thomas Young will hope to continue his Paralympics success, following his gold medal win during his Games debut at Tokyo 2020. He will face fierce competition from Team USA debutant Jaydin Blackwell – who recently raced to victory in a record time of 10.86 seconds at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships.
Iona WinnifrithThe 13-year-old from Tonbridge, Kent, is the youngest competitor in the ParalympicsGB squad. She will make her Games debut in Paris on Saturday in the women’s 200m swimming heats, after an impressive start to 2024 which included becoming a double European champion. The teenager swims in the S7 classification for physical impairment. 
K43 & K44In para taekwondo, athletes are divided into two categories under the letter ‘K’, which stands for ‘Kyorugi’, the Korean word for sparring. 
K43 athletes have bilateral amputations (where more than one limb has been surgically removed) below the elbow, or an equivalent loss of function in both upper limbs.
K44 athletes have unilateral arm amputations, or an equivalent loss of function – or loss of toes which impacts their ability to lift the heel properly. 
Para athletes in both classifications compete together in different body weight categories. 
Para athletics9:47am-10:50am: women’s discus throw, F64 finalChinese duo Juan Yao and Yue Yang dominated the competition and claimed a double podium at Tokyo 2020. ParalympicsGB newcomer Funmi Oduwaiye will hope to put an end to this dominance as she targets gold at her first Games. The 20-year-old from Cardiff was destined for basketball greatness until a routine surgery went badly wrong in 2019. She broke into the world of Para athletics in 2022 and made her international debut last year at the World Para Athletics Championships. 
Para cycling track11:06am-11:44am: women’s 3,000m individual pursuit, C5 qualifierLeading the way in Games appearances and gold medals is ParalympicsGB royalty, Sarah Storey. She will begin her ninth consecutive Games on Sunday morning and – all being well – will add to her medal collection in the final later on in the day. Storey hopes to create more history by placing on the podium at a ninth consecutive summer Games. 
Blind football5:30pm-7:30pm: men’s preliminary round group A, Brazil vs TurkeyDespite ParalympicsGB failing to qualify for blind football at Paris 2024, the tournament is still an exciting one to follow. It made its first appearance at Athens 2004 and, ever since, the visually impaired players have impressed spectators around the world with their speed and perception of space. All eyes will be on Team Brazil — five-time reigning champions of the sport, as competitors including Argentina and France attempt to claim the title for themselves. 
Alfie Hewett The nine-time Grand Slam singles champion, 21-time Grand Slam doubles champion, and Tokyo 2020 men’s doubles silver medallist returns to the Paralympics for his third Games. The 26-year-old wheelchair tennis player ended 2023 as year-end number one in men’s singles and received an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours for his services to the game. He will hope his success story continues in Paris, competing in both the men’s singles and doubles.
Para cycling C, H, T & BPara cycling classifications fall under four categories – ‘C’ for cycling, ‘H’ for handbike, ‘T’ for tricycle, and ‘B’ for blind (for tandems). 
Solo cyclers in the ‘C’ category compete with prosthesis or limited movement of their upper or lower limbs and are classified for 1 to 5 based on the severity of their impairments. 
Those competing in handcycling have spinal cord injuries or prosthesis in one or both lower limbs – they are classified according to their severity from H1 to H5. 
Athletes competing in the ‘T’ category have locomotor dysfunction and balance issues such as cerebral palsy – and are classified as T1 or T2. 
Blind or visually-impaired athletes compete in tandem races under the V1 classification and race with a sighted pilot. 
Boccia10:40am-11:40am: men’s individual, BC1 gold medal match ParalympicsGB’s David Smith, Britain’s most successful boccia player, will hope to add to his medal collection in the men’s individual final. His precision and skill is sure to have spectators at the South Paris Arena on the edge of their seats as he competes in this game of strategy and accuracy. 
Para swimming 5:05pm-5:27pm: women’s 50m backstroke, S3 final; and men’s and women’s 100m breaststroke, SB14 finalA wave of medals are up for grabs for the swimmers on Monday night. ParalympicsGB competitors including Ellie Challis and Harry Stewart will hope to race in the various backstroke and breaststroke finals for a place on the podium. However, they’re sure to face fierce competition from strong Brazilian and Japanese cohorts. 
Para athletics7:44pm-8:15pm: women’s 400m, T12 round 1A name that has dominated conversation in recent weeks, Valentina Petrillo, the Paralympics’ first openly transgender runner, begins her Games campaign on Monday evening. After one of Petrillo’s rivals sounded the alarm over her participation in the 200m and 400m sprints, the Italian runner accused opponents of “jealousy”, proclaiming it was “only fair” she be allowed to do so. Amid ongoing rows and controversy over Petrillo’s participation, there is sure to be great interest in her first appearance on the track.
Ellie Challis The 20-year-old swimmer from Clacton-on-Sea burst onto the scene in 2017 when she broke the British SB2 50m breaststroke record that had stood since 1992. Just two years later, she became the world record holder in the event. At the age of 17, she was the youngest member of ParalympicsGB in Tokyo where she won a silver medal – and at Paris 2024, she will be looking to go one step further.
Para athletics T & FAthletics classifications are defined by a letter and a number: ‘T’ for track and jump events and ‘F’ for field events. The number that follows represents an impairment. 
Numbers 11 to 13 relate to vision impairments; 20 signifies an intellectual impairment; while 31 to 38 correspond to coordination impairments. 
Athletes with short stature or who are competing with lower or upper limb prosthesis or equivalent impairments are classified under numbers 40 to 47. 
T51 to 54 correspond to wheelchair races; athletes competing in seated throws are classified under F51 to 58; while those competing with lower limb prosthesis are classified under numbers 61 to 64. 
Para athletics11:20am-11:28am: women’s 1500m, T54 finalAthletes in the T54 classification have a spinal cord injury which requires them to race in a wheelchair. Tune in for the women’s final where ParalympicsGB team mates Samantha Kinghorn, Eden Rainbow-Cooper, and Melanie Woods will compete for a place on the podium – if, of course, they make it through the first round on Monday morning. 
Wheelchair basketball3:00pm-4:45pm: men’s wheelchair basketball quarter final The sport is credited with laying the foundations for the Paralympic Games. First played by injured WW2 veterans as a rehabilitation exercise, wheelchair basketball fuelled the growth of parasports worldwide. Now, the sport is played in over 108 countries across the world. Should the ParalympicsGB team make it through the preliminary rounds, they will compete in the quarter finals at the Bercy Arena on Tuesday afternoon. 
Wheelchair fencing7:50pm-9:30pm: men’s sabre, category B gold medal bout; and men’s and women’s sabre, category A gold medal bout A Paralympic Games veteran, wheelchair fencing has featured since the inaugural competition in 1960. Athletes compete in wheelchairs fastened to the floor which means they are always at close quarters with their opponent – ensuring high-intensity bouts and lots of action. ParalympicsGB’s Piers Gilliver, Dimitri Coutya, and Gemma Collis-McCann will hope to make it to Tuesday night’s competitions for a place on the podium. 
Piers GilliverAt Tokyo 2020, Piers Gilliver ended a long wait when he became ParalympicsGB’s first wheelchair fencing gold medallist since 1988. The 29-year-old goes into Paris as the Épée world champion and European champion in two events after clinching double gold in the Sabre and Épée in Paris earlier this year. At Paris 2024, he will hope to continue his successes and defend his impressive record. 
Wheelchair basketballPlayers are classified on a points system according to the degree of their impairments. Points range from one to four point five, with one representing the most severe impairment. At the Games, the sum of points for the five players on court for each team must not exceed 14. 
Para cycling road7:00am-5:00pm: men’s and women’s individual time trials, classifications B, C2, C3, C4, and C5Para cycling fans – tune in on Wednesday for a full day of action as the men and women take to the road in individual time trials. ParalympicsGB gold medal hopefuls include Sarah Storey, Archie Atkinson, and Matthew Robertson. Races will be hosted in the nearby town of Clichy-sous-Bois, where crowds are sure to gather to cheer on their country’s competitors. 
Wheelchair tennis11:00am-5:00pm: men’s quad doubles gold medal match and women’s singles semi finalGold medal matches and semifinals galore – Wednesday is a big day for tennis fans. Tune in from 11:00am where Paralympics gold could be on the cards for British quad doubles duo Andy Lapthore and Greg Slade. There are plenty more matches to enjoy throughout the day – look out for Dutch wheelchair tennis star Diede de Groot. A Tokyo 2020 champion, de Groot was undefeated in 145 matches on the way to this year’s Games and is used to victory at the Paris 2024 venue, where she has won five French Open titles. 
Para powerlifting4:00pm-5:05pm: women’s up to 45kg final Medals are up for grabs in powerlifting on Wednesday, where Britain’s Zoe Newson will look to build on her impressive Paralympics record. Athletes are tested on their upper body strength in a bench press competition which is open to lifters with orthopaedic and neurological disabilities; paraplegia and tetraplegia; and cerebral palsy. 
Terry BywaterThe Redcar native made his Paralympics debut at Sydney 2000 aged 17 and is set to star in his seventh successive Games at Paris 2024. The wheelchair basketball player has competed in over 20 international tournaments resulting in 14 medals of various colours – including four Paralympics bronzes back-to-back in 2004 and 2008 and again in 2016 and 2020. A legend of the Games with more than two decades of experience in Britain’s team, Bywater will look to continue his team’s medal-winning streak. 
Para archery The sport is split into three classifications – open class with recurve bows, open class with compound bows, and W1 – where a compound bow is limited to 45 lbs in draw weight. 
Archers in the open class using recurve bows shoot from a standing position at a distance of 70 metres at a 122 centimetre target made up of 10 concentric circles. They can score from one to 10 points depending on how close to the centre their arrow lands. 
The open class with compound bows is for archers with little strength in the arms. They shoot from a sitting position at a distance of 50 metres at an 80 centimetre five-ring target made up of point bands ranging from six up to 10. 
In the W1 classification, quadriplegic archers with an impairment in the lower limbs, trunk and one arm shoot from 50 metres at a 10-band 80 centimetre target.
Para athletics10:43am-11:41am: women’s shot put, F64 final ParalympicsGB’s Funmi Oduwaiye’s second shot at gold will come on Thursday morning in the women’s shot put final. She is likely to face fierce competition from China’s Yao Juan, a veteran of the sport, who was hopeful to return to the Games after defending her F64 title at the Kobe Para Athletics Championships in May.The victory marked her eighth world championship title and the 39-year-old said she would compete at Paris 2024 “if conditions allow”. 
Goalball4:45pm and 6:30pm: women’s and men’s gold medal games Despite ParalympicsGB failing to qualify for the sport, goalball is well worth the watch. It is a team sport designed for the visually impaired and blind and was invented in 1946 for WW2 veterans who had lost their sight. Goalball players must engage their whole body to block powerful attacks from their opponents and the game is played in total silence. The Brazilian mens’ team will look to defend their title after winning gold at Tokyo 2020. 
Para athletics6:25pm-6:40pm: women’s 400m, T53 and T54 finals7:45pm-8:48pm: men’s javelin throw, F13 final There are plenty of medals up for grabs on the track and field on Thursday evening. British medal hopefuls include Melanie Woods in the women’s 400m T54 final and Daniel Pembroke in the men’s javelin F13 final. So settle in for an evening of action where – fingers crossed – the ParalympicsGB team will add a few golds to the roster. 
Daniel Pembroke A veteran of the sport, Daniel Pembroke, 33, began throwing a javelin at secondary school. As a junior athlete, he competed in international championships, however after suffering an elbow injury, he took a break from the sport until 2019. In 2021, he pulled on the British vest for the first time in a decade at the World Para Athletics European Championships where he broke the European record for the F13 javelin. After an equally successful result at Tokyo 2020 where he set a new Paralympic record of 69.52m, he will look to defend his titles at Paris 2024. 
GoalballAthletes must have less than 10 per cent visual acuity to be eligible for goalball at the Paralympics. 
There are three classifications under the letter ‘B’ for blind. 
B1 athletes have no light perception or an inability to recognise a shape, while athletes under B2 and B3 classifications have varying levels of limited visual acuity. 
Each player must wear an opaque mask as well as an eye patch to ensure fair competition. 
Para canoe 9:10am-11:15am: men’s and women’s kayak and va’a single 200m; KL1, KL2, KL3, VL2 and VL3 heatsCanoeists will take to the water for three days of competition in the brand-new Vaires-sur-Mare Nautical Stadium. Tune in on Friday morning as ParalympicsGB competitors including Rob Oliver and Jeanette Chippington begin their Paris 2024 campaign. The sport is a relatively new addition to the Games. While kayak events were introduced at Rio 2016, a second form called va’a, where competitors use a single-blade paddle, first appeared at Tokyo 2020. 
Wheelchair tennis12:30pm-3:00pm: men’s doubles gold medal match and women’s singles gold medal matchA few key rules differentiate wheelchair tennis from its Olympics counterpart. The most significant change is the “two-bounce” rule, where a player can allow the ball to bounce twice and must return it before the third bounce. Gold could be on the cards for ParalympicsGB tennis players with two finals on Friday afternoon. Podium hopefuls include Alife Hewlett, Gordon Reid, and Abbie Breakwell. 
Para athletics6:58pm-7:19pm: women’s 200m, T12 heat 1The Paralympics’ first openly transgender runner Valentina Petrillo begins her 200m sprint campaign on Friday where she will likely come face to face with outspoken rival Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt. The latter recently claimed Petrillo – who transitioned in 2019 – could have a potential “advantage” in the race, while the Italian sprinter insists it is “only fair” she be allowed to compete. 
Hannah Cockroft A Para athletics legend, Hannah Cockroft, 32, will look to defend her titles in the T34 100m and 800m sprints at Paris 2024. The Halifax racer has won gold in all her races at the Paralympics since London 2012 and will look to continue her dominant streak. The excitement does not end for Cockroft once the Games close as she is set to marry fiance, and fellow ParalympicsGB team mate, Nathan Maguire after the competition. 
TT1-11 In para table tennis there are 11 classes in total, five for sitting athletes and six for standing competitors. Classifications TT1 to TT5 are for wheelchair athletes, TT6 to TT10 are for standing athletes, and TT11 is for athletes with intellectual impairments. 
Competitors who have difficulty gripping the racket may use orthotics to attach it to their hand or use strapping to maintain their grip of the handle only. 
Para athletics9:00am-10:17am: men’s long jump, T13 final and men’s 800m, T34 finalIt’s finals galore at the Stade de France on Saturday morning as athletes set their sights on gold in competitions including shot put, long jump, and the 100m and 200m sprints. Aiming for a podium spot will be ParalympicsGB contestants including Zak Skinner and Isaac Towers. 
Para table tennis4:00pm-5:00pm: men’s singles, MS9 gold medal match5:00pm-6:00pm – women’s singles, WS4 gold medal match Saturday is a big day for table tennis with finals in the men’s and women’s singles. A strong Chinese cohort will hope to continue their country’s successes after their Olympic counterparts dominated the table tennis podiums, however they are likely to face strong competition from the likes of three-time world champion Dutch superstar Kelly van Zon, and Japanese phenomenon Koyo Iwabuchi. 
Blind football7:00pm-9:00pm men’s gold medal matchTensions will be high at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on Saturday night as the Paris 2024 blind football champions are crowned. Will Brazil defend their title and continue their reign as the undisputed Paralympics champions? Or could this be the year another team takes the crown for themselves? Tune in from 7pm to find out. 
Charlotte HenshawThe 37-year-old from Nottingham became a Paralympic champion at her first Games as a Para canoe athlete at Tokyo 2020. A former Para swimmer, Heshaw made the switch to Para canoeing after Rio 2016. She is now an eight-time world champion and will hope to continue her glittering record at Paris 2024. 
Para judo Competitors at the Paralympics are visually impaired and are divided into two categories. 
B1 athletes have complete blindness, while B2 to B3 competitors are visually impaired. 
The judokas are then divided into weight classes. 
Para athletics7:00am-12:00pm: men’s and women’s marathon, T54 and T12The last day of the Paralympics kicks off with an extraordinary display of stamina and endurance as racers take to the streets for a 42.2 kilometre route from Seine-Saint-Denis, the department at the heart of the Games, to central Paris. As they head into the city, they face a challenging 185 metre climb up Buttes-Chaumont Park and the Champs-Elysées. The route ends with a lap around the Arc de Triomphe and will finish in front of the Esplanade des Invalides where crowds of supporters will cheer them over the finish line. 
Para canoe10:25am-10:33am: women’s kayak single 200m, KL1 final11:33am-11:41am: men’s va’a single 200m, VL3 final A raft of medals are up for grabs on the final day for the Para canoeists. Gold medal hopefuls include ParalympicsGB’s Charlotte Henshaw and Jack Eyers. The latter makes his Games debut at Paris 2024 after progressing up the ranks since he joined the Great Britain Para canoe programme in 2017. 
Wheelchair basketball12:45pm-2:30pm: women’s gold medal match A spirited game of wheelchair basketball is the perfect way to conclude your Paralympics viewing. ParalympicsGB women will hope to be in the gold medal match at Bercy Arena on Sunday afternoon but they will face fierce competition from a dominant United States side along the way. The women’s team have not yet made it to the podium so a medal of any colour would be a fantastic achievement for the side. 
David Weir The 45-year-old from Wallington is one of the most successful and celebrated Para athletes in the history of the sport. He made his Paralympic debut at Atlanta 1996 and has since won ten medals at the Games, including six golds. At London 2012, he competed in seven races in 10 days – totalling 35.3 miles and winning four gold medals in the T54 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon. Weir heads to Paris 2024 hoping to achieve his first Paralympics medal since he completed this impressive feat. 
In para canoe ‘KL’ corresponds to a kayak and double paddle while ‘VL’ corresponds to a pirogue (va’a) and single paddle. 
KL1 and VL1 athletes have no or extremely limited trunk function and no function in the legs. 
KL2 and VL2 athletes have partial legs and trunk function. They are able to sit up straight in the kayak but may require a high-backed seat. 
Athletes in the KL3 and VL3 classifications have full function of their trunk and partial function in the legs. They are able to sit with the trunk bent forwards in the kayak and can use at least one leg.