2024 Paralympics: All you need to know for the next two weeks

Olympic fans, wipe your tears away because the enthralling edition of the Paralympics is soon landing in Paris for the 17^th edition of the Games.

The Games will kick off on Wednesday the 28th August with the opening ceremony. Competition will begin the following day.

The Paralympics will follow the Olympics with a non-traditional opening ceremony, using various landmarks around the city to showcase athletes from around the world. The Telegraph reports the Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde and the Trocadero will all be used.

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The artistic director of the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, told reporters, "I look forward to creating this spectacle that will transform the heart of Paris, with performances that have never been seen before. A spectacle that will showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody."

Much like the Olympics before it, the Paralympics will be provided with extra security to ensure the Games go off without a hitch. The Independent has reported up to 25,000 additional police officers and security guards are on hand to keep the peace.

4,400 Paralympic athletes will descend on Paris in the coming days ahead of their competitions.

According to BBC Sport, organizers are anticipating 164 nations are set to compete at the Paris Paralympics, which would break the record of 162 set in Tokyo.

The Telegraph reports there are 549 gold medals up for grabs across the Games with athletes competing in a variety of sports and categories.

Para-athletes from Russia and Belarus will be allowed to compete as neutrals in Paris, with the ongoing suspension of both nations due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

There will be 22 sports taking place across the Games, including, Blind football, Para-cycling, Wheelchair basketball, Wheelchair rugby, and Para-athletics.

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There will be incredible performers across the Games, but one name to look out for is Great Britain's Sarah Storey, who is the most-decorated active Paralympian with 17 gold medals. Not only is that an astonishing number, but in her first four Paralympics, she competed in swimming, before switching to cycling following a series of ear infections, winning multiple golds in both sports.

Last time out, at the Tokyo Paralympics, China ruled the roost, winning 96 golds, and 207 medals in total per the Olympics website. Team GB finished second with 41 golds and the USA in third with 37.

The official Refugee Paralympic Team will be the largest in history at the 2024 Games. The team of eight athletes from various parts of the world are being funded by the International Paralympic Committee and the French Ministry of Sport and should provide these athletes with an incredible opportunity to compete.

There could be a series of world records broken at the Games, including in the men's F64 javelin category, where India's Sumit Antil hopes to break his own record of 73.29 metres. Per The Hindu, he is hoping to win gold and break the 75-metre mark.

Elsewhere, Danielle Aitchison of New Zealand is hoping to continue her impressive form by winning gold and breaking her 200m T36 world record time of 27.47 which she set earlier this year.

The Paralympics sometimes gets forgotten or seen as the forgettable encore to the Olympics, but given it's another 10 days of incredible sports and some of the most impressive athletes around, sit back, relax and enjoy.

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