Did you think we were done talking about the Olympics? Never! We hope the 2024 Paralympic games get just as much love as the 2024 Olympic games did, with or without Snoop Dogg. The Paralympics have the same events as the standard Olympics, and some events that you might have even never heard of. Wheelchair rugby, goalball, boccia, just to name a few.
Goallball is similar to handball. Teams consist of visually impaired or blind players and use a ball containing bells to score points. Boccia is a precision sport. The goal is to throw leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball or “jack”.
The 2024 Paralympics will take place in Paris. The Opening Ceremony is happening on August 28 at 2pm EST, and the Closing Ceremony is scheduled for September 8 at 8:30pm EST. Just like the regular Olympic games, you can tune into events on Peacock. NBC will have three time slots to cover highlights from the Games on Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. Eastern time, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. Eastern time, and Sept 6 at 9 p.m. USA will also air several events including Para swimming, wheelchair basketball, and more.
A lot of people believe that the Paralympics should overlap with the standard Olympics, have 1 opening and closing ceremony, making it a whole month-long celebration. This way, the Paralympics doesn’t get overshadowed or forgotten about by the time the regular Olympic games end. 2024 Olympic athletes who gained tons of attention on social media this year, like Ilona Maher, are also spreading the word to watch the Paralympics and support these amazing athletes just like we did for her!
Florida Athletes Competing in The 2024 Paralympic Games
According to Time.com, 4,400 athletes will participate in the Paralympic Games this summer. Team USA will have 225 athletes participating. Some athletes are up for some big accomplishments. Tatyana McFadden could become the most decorated U.S. Paralympic track athlete, and the men’s wheelchair basketball team are looking to defend their title and win their third gold medal.
Paralympians are grouped by type of impairment, and some sports like para swimming have competitions for every type of impairment. Other games like goalball, just have one category. The different categories are defined by a prefix and a number.
Florida has 7 athletes competing in the 2024 Paralympics. Here’s who you need to be rooting for:
Emma Meyers
Emma Meyers is the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team. She’s from Pensacola, FL and started her triathlon journey in 2017. Meyers was born with fibular hemimelia, a congenital limb deficiency that limits growth of the calf bone. Her leg was amputated below the knee when she was just a toddler. This will be her first time competing in the Paralympic games!
