Health, Other, Sports

The Paralympics Thread

Hello & Welcome to the Paralympics thread

SKIP to TLDR to see where & when to watch, with a list of broadcasters!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cer3wvlzpx1o

Much of the thread header text is taken from the above BBC report & I highly recommend visiting the site for more information in general (including about Russian & Belarusian athletes competing as neutrals).

Here’s another breakdown of who to watch out for, though the article has a mostly British bias (we did come second in the medal tables at the last Paralympics 😊 behind China) there are also highlights:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c62rnpw43yeo

About 4,400 athletes from around the world will take part in 22 sports, cheered on by crowds again after the rescheduled Tokyo Games in 2021 which were held behind closed doors.

A total of 22 gold medals will be decided on the opening day of competition on Thursday, 29 August.

The final day on Sunday, 8 September will feature medal events in wheelchair basketball, Para-powerlifting, Para-canoe and wheelchair marathons as well as the closing ceremony, which will take place at the Stade de France.

There are 22 sports in the Paralympic programme:

  • Blind football
  • Boccia
  • Goalball
  • Para-archery
  • Para-athletics
  • Para-badminton
  • Para-canoe
  • Para-cycling
  • Para-equestrian
  • Para-judo
  • Para-powerlifting
  • Para-rowing
  • Para-swimming
  • Para-table tennis
  • Para-taekwondo
  • Para-triathlon
  • Shooting Para-sport
  • Sitting volleyball
  • Wheelchair basketball
  • Wheelchair fencing
  • Wheelchair rugby
  • Wheelchair tennis

The Opening Ceremony:

Like the Olympic opening ceremony, the Paralympic ceremony was held outside a stadium for the first time. But it didn’t feature boats floating down the River Seine. Instead, athletes took part in a ‘people’s parade’ travelling past some of Paris’ most iconic landmarks, located along the route between the Champs-Elysees and the Place de la Concorde.

The ceremony featured the usual mix of music and movement and performers with disabilities playing an integral role in the show.

TLDR: WHERE & WHEN to watch (U.S. & U.K viewers) courtesy of @sonneta42

It looks like a lot of the games themselves will only be on Peacock in the U.S., with some events on USA Network as well. Sporting News has the full schedule for the U.S.

In the UK, Channel 4 has a full schedule of events, with it’s YouTube channel offering tons of upcoming coverage.

Here’s a full list of broadcasters (minus Africa which is almost entirely SuperSport):

RULES

I probably should have brainstormed this in the last Disability Discussion thread (hopefully I’ll be able to get some feedback).

https://the-avocado.org/tag/disability-discussion/

For now, please be considerate & thoughtful when commenting here & have fun & enjoy!