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Paris is about to host its Paralympics. Similar to the Olympics last month, Australia is bringing a with many medal hopefuls.

But how are the Paralympics similar (or different) to the Olympics, how do the athlete classifications work, and who are Australia’s main medal hopes?

Paralympic history

Paralympic history began in England in .

Medical doctor Ludwig Guttmann was working with paraplegic ex air force pilots who were injured in the second world war.

He organised archery and netball competitions at his hospital during the 1948 London Olympics to help his patients rehabilitate more quickly.

The Paralympic games were held in Rome in 1960.

Since 1988, the Paralympics have been held at the same location as the Olympics, usually around later.

Australia has competed in every Paralympics. Our most are athletics and swimming.

Similar to the Olympics, we have finished in the on the medal tally in every summer Paralympics for the past 30 years.

Our best result was when we finished on the medal tally at Sydney in 2000, with 63 golds.

Paris 2024

Athletes will compete in 549 medal events across .

There are this year. Para badminton and para taekwondo are the newest sports – both introduced in Tokyo.

Most Paralympic sports have a on the Olympic program, for example para canoeing (Paralympics) and canoeing (Olympics).

Only two : (a bowls-like sport played by athletes in wheelchairs) and (teams of visually impaired athletes trying to roll a ball into the opposing goal).

In Paris, 18 venues from the Olympics will be used again during the Paralympics. These include the , athletics track and equestrian venue.

Other venues are being converted. For example, the beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower will host .

What about classifications?

The Paralympic system groups athletes based on their ability to perform in a specific sport.

This system aims to minimise any advantage one athlete might have over another and is somewhat similar to how athletes are grouped by age or weight in other sports.

First, an athlete is evaluated to see whether they have one of the ten , which are either physical, vision or intellectual.

Each sport has its own set of rules (called Minimum Impairment ) to determine who can compete. This is because different sports require athletes to use their body differently.

For example, in wheelchair basketball, an athlete must have a physical impairment in their legs severe enough that it affects their ability to play standing basketball. In , athletes must have an impairment that affects both their arms and legs.

This means an athlete may be able to compete in one sport, but they may not meet the minimum requirements in another sport.

Additionally, sports such as para athletics and swimming include athletes with all types of impairments, whereas is specifically for those with vision impairments.

After determining eligibility, athletes are placed into sport .

These classes group athletes with similar levels of activity limitation together, ensuring fair competition.

Lower numbers are allocated to athletes with more severe limitations, whereas athletes with smaller impairments are given high numbers.

For example, , an athlete with a double below-the-knee amputation who uses prostheses is likely to compete in the C3 class, whereas an athlete with a below-knee amputation and a prosthesis on one leg would compete in the C4 class.

Some team sports have their own unique team classifications.

For example, in wheelchair rugby, each player is assigned a points value ranging from 0.5 (lowest) to 3.5 (highest) based on their ability. The value of the players on the court at any given time must not exceed eight points. This ensures no team has an unfair advantage.

This system helps maintain the integrity of the competition, allowing athletes to compete based on their skills and abilities rather than the severity of their impairments.

Australia’s medal hopes

Some of our strongest are in athletics, swimming, cycling and rowing.

Both our flag bearers, (para athletics) and (para swimming), could add to their existing medals (six each) from their four previous Paralympics.

Vanessa Low will be going for a in a row, as she launches into the long jump at Stade de France. Low , including the women’s T61 long jump in January, and she won gold in the World Para Athletics Championships in May.

James Turner is also a world record holder in Paralympic athletics and was named . He has achieved world records in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m.

Turner is a strong gold medal chance after silver (100m) and gold (400m) in Tokyo.

Lauren Parker has four world triathlon titles, became a cycling world champion and won the 2023 Australian Women’s Para-Athlete of the Year award.

Having claimed silver in Tokyo in the individual women’s para-triathlon wheelchair event, Parker will be vying for a gold medal at the Paris paralympics. This is despite a training accident.

A host of gold medal chances are looming across the .

Para-swimmers to watch out for include (100m freestyle champion and world record holder), (50m freestyle S13 champion and world record holder), (400m freestyle gold medal winner in Rio and Tokyo), (50m freestyle gold medal in Tokyo) and (100m backstroke gold medal in Tokyo).

Our other big individual chances are in rowing and canoeing.

achieved gold at the 2023 world championships, set recent world records and became the 2023 World Rowing Para of the Year.

will be attempting to build on his successive gold in the men’s KL2 200m caneo sprint in Rio and Tokyo, alongside his KL3 gold at Tokyo.

The Australian wheelchair rugby team, , will be looking to return to the top of the podium after gold in 2012 and 2016, and recent world titles.

After missing out in Tokyo, the Steelers will be difficult to beat.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.