Paralympics 2024: Paris hopes for ‘most spectacular Games ever’

Among the big names in Paris is Brazilian Petrucio Ferreira, the fastest Paralympian in the world, who hopes to retain his T47 100m title. His world record stands at 10.29 seconds.

Germany’s Markus Rehm, better known as the Blade Jumper, is going for his fourth Paralympic title in the long jump in the T64 category.

His world record of 8.72m is the ninth-longest jump of all time. His best jump in 2024 is 8.44m – a distance that would have earned him Olympic silver in Paris and gold at the previous four Games.

Valentina Petrillo is also on track to become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympic Games. She has been selected to represent Italy in the T12 class for visually impaired women.

Petrillo, who transitioned in 2019 and will run the 200 and 400 metres, told BBC Sport her participation in the Games would be an “important symbol of inclusivity”.

However, in 2021, more than 30 female athletes signed a petition sent to the president of the Italian Athletics Federation and the Ministries for Equal Opportunities and Sports, challenging Petrillo’s right to participate in women’s competitions.

As with the Olympic Games, Russia and its ally Belarus are not allowed to send athletes to the Games because of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

However, some Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate as neutral participants: the delegation of neutral Paralympic athletes (NPA) will consist of up to 90 participants from Russia and eight from Belarus.

All NPA members have been independently vetted to ensure they have not supported the war and have no contracts with the military.

There will be eight athletes representing the Paralympic Refugee Team, with Zakia Khudadadi taking to the mat in the K44 -47kg Para-taekwondo event on the first day of action on Thursday. She was born in Afghanistan and represented her country in Tokyo after being safely evacuated in the days leading up to the Games.

Three countries – Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo – will be represented at the Paralympic Games for the first time.