Athletics
When: August 30 to September 8
The competition schedule is similar to that of the Olympic Games. On the track, distances will be run between 100 and 5,000 meters. In the field, jumps, throws, and releases will take place. The last day is reserved for marathons.
The events are followed by a code with a letter, which refers to track (T) or field (F), and a number that indicates the athlete’s degree of disability:
- 11 to 13 – visual impairment;
- 20 – intellectual disability;
- 31 to 38 – cerebral palsy (with wheelchair);
- 35 to 38 – cerebral palsy;
- 40 – dwarfism;
- 41 to 47 – amputees and others;
- 51 to 57 – compete in wheelchairs.
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Ana Filipe, Long Jump T20
- Carina Paim, 400m T20
- Carolina Duarte, 400m T13
- Miguel Monteiro (bronze medalist in Tokyo), Shot Put F40
- Mamudo Baldé, 100m T54, 400m T54
- Sandro Baessa, 1500m T20
Miguel Monteiro
Reproduction/Instagram Paralympics
The event schedule can be seen here.
Badminton
When: August 29 to September 2
Where: Arena Porte de La Chapelle
Badminton was one of the two sports (the other is taekwondo) added to the Paralympic program for 2020. They replaced 7-a-side football and sailing and will continue in competition in 2024.
The events include singles, mixed pairs, women’s pairs, and men’s pairs. The codes for these competitions are:
- WH 1 and WH 2 – wheelchair;
- SL 3, SL 4, and SU 5 – standing;
- SH 6 – short stature;
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Beatriz Monteiro, Singles SU5
Beatriz Monteiro
Miguel A. Lopes
The event schedule can be seen here.
Wheelchair Basketball
When: August 29 to September 8
The size of the court, the height of the basket, and the game duration are the same as in Olympic basketball.
Athletes are classified into eight different classes (1/1.5/2/2.5/3/3.5/4/4.5), which relate to each individual’s physical limitation. The lower the number, the more significant the limitation. The total allowed is 14. That is, the total of the five players on the court cannot exceed 14. If a coach allows the team to have more than 14, they will incur a technical foul.
The event schedule can be seen here.
Wheelchair Basketball
Adam Pretty
Boccia
When: August 29 to September 5
The events are divided into singles and teams. The objective is to throw the colored balls as close as possible to the target ball, which is strategically thrown by the first player.
Athletes compete in wheelchairs and are divided into four classes:
- BC1 – can compete with the help of assistants, who must remain outside the athlete’s play area;
- BC2 – cannot receive assistance;
- BC3 – more limited functional characteristics, use an auxiliary instrument and can be helped by another person;
- BC4 – other locomotor disabilities, but are fully autonomous regarding the functionality required by the game, cannot receive assistance.
Boccia is the most represented sport by Portugal, with seven participants.
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Ana Correia, Individual BC2
- Ana Sofia Costa, Individual BC3
- André Ramos, Individual BC1 and Teams BC1/BC2
- Carla Oliveira, Individual BC4
- Cristina Gonçalves, Individual BC2 and Teams BC1/BC2
- David Araújo, individual BC2 and Teams BC1/BC2
- José Gonçalves, Individual BC3
Cristina Gonçalves, André Ramos, and David Araújo
Portuguese Paralympic Committee
The event schedule can be seen here.
Canoeing
When: September 6 to 8
Where: Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium
The events, contested over a distance of 200 meters, are divided into men’s and women’s, according to three classes:
- 1 – uses only the arms;
- 2 – uses trunks and arms;
- 3 – uses arms, trunk, and legs;
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Alex Santos, 200m KL1
- Norberto Mourão (bronze medalist in Tokyo), 200m VL2
Norberto Mourão
Miguel A. Lopes
The event schedule can be seen here.
Road and Track Cycling
When: September 4 to 7 (road), August 29 to September 1 (track)
Where: Clichy-Sous-Bois (road) and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome (track)
For each type of disability, there is a specific bike. And athletes are divided into four classes, which relate to the type of bikes used:
- H1 to H5 – propel the adapted bike (handbike) with the arms;
- T1 and T2 – cerebral palsy preventing a regular bike ride (compete on tricycles);
- C1 to C5 – athletes with physical motor disabilities and amputees (regular bicycles),
- B – athletes with visual impairments (two-seater bikes where the front cyclist can see normally).
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Luís Costa, Time Trial and Road Race H5
- Telmo Pinão, Individual Pursuit C1-C3, Kilometer C2, Time Trial C2, and Road Race C1-C3
Telmo Pinão
Paralympics Portugal
Wheelchair Fencing
When: September 3 to 7
The modality follows the same rules as the International Fencing Federation, but with adaptations. The events are divided into two categories:
- A – athletes with upper body mobility, amputees or with movement limitations;
- B – athletes with reduced trunk mobility and balance.
Wheelchair Fencing
Carmen Mandato
The event schedule can be seen here.
5-a-side Football
When: September 1 to 3, September 5 and 7
This event is exclusive to the blind, except for the goalkeeper.
The ball has bells inside so that players can locate it. They also rely on the guidance of an assistant, who stays behind the goal, to help with direction.
Blind Football
OSCAR DEL POZO
The event schedule can be seen here.
Goalball
When: August 29 to September 5
The modality is exclusive to people with visual impairments. The court has the same dimensions as a volleyball court (9 meters wide by 18 meters long) and a game lasts 24 minutes, divided into two halves of 12 minutes.
The objective of each team is to score goals in the opponent’s goal. Since it is a sport based on tactile and auditory perceptions, there can be no noise in the venue during the game. According to the Portuguese Federation of Sports for the Disabled, “the ball used weighs 1250g and has an internal sound device that allows players to detect its trajectory when it contacts the ground”.
In the modality, athletes with visual impairments from classes B1, B2, and B3 compete. All must wear eye patches and opaque visors to ensure they compete on equal terms.
The event schedule can be seen here.
Goalball
Ivan Alvarado
Equestrian
When: September 3 and 4, September 6 and 7
Where: Palace of Versailles
The modality is divided into three events: individual, freestyle, and teams. Athletes are classified into five classes (the lower the number, the more severe the disability): I, II, III, and IV.
Equestrian
Koki Nagahama
The event schedule can be seen here.
Judo
When: September 5 to 7
Where: Champs de Mars Arena
The competition is contested by athletes with visual impairments classified into categories according to weight. There are three classes:
- J1 – blind athletes or those with light perception;
- J2 – athletes with shape perception;
- J3 – athletes who can distinguish images.
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Djibrilo Iafa, -73kg J1
- Miguel Vieira, -60kg J1
Miguel Vieira
David Finch
The event schedule can be seen here.
Powerlifting
When: September 4 to 8
Where: Arena Porte de La Chapelle
Athletes are classified by weight, just like in the Olympic Games. However, athletes compete lying on a bench.
The modality is divided into 10 male and 10 female categories.
Portuguese athletes competing:
Simone Fragoso
The event schedule can be seen here.
Swimming
When: August 29 to September 7
Where: Paris La Defense Arena
The modality is divided into male, female, and mixed events. Athletes have different classifications for various styles: S for Freestyle, Butterfly, and Backstroke; SB for Breaststroke; and SM for Medley events.
They are grouped into 14 classes:
- 1 to 10 – swimmers with motor impairment;
- 11 to 13 – swimmers with visual impairment;
- 14 – swimmers with intellectual disability.
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Daniel Videira, 400m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke S6
- Diogo Cancela, 400m Freestyle S8, 100m Butterfly S8, 200m Medley SM8
- Marco Meneses, 50m Freestyle S11, 400m Freestyle S11, 100m Backstroke S11, 200m Medley SM11
- Tomás Cordeiro, 100m Backstroke S10, 100m Breaststroke SB9, 200m Medley SM10
Marco Meneses
Marko Djurica
The event schedule can be seen here.
Rowing
When: August 30 to September 1
Where: Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium
In the competition, male and female athletes compete in different types of boats: single, double, or quad.
Paralympic Rowing is divided into three sports classes for motor disability and one for visual disability:
- AS – athletes who use their arms and shoulders during the rowing movement;
- TA – athletes who use their arms, shoulders, and trunk during the rowing movement;
- LTA-PD – athletes who use the upper limbs, trunk, and legs during the rowing movement;
- LTA-VI – athletes with visual impairment.
Rowing
Dean Mouhtaropoulos
The event schedule can be seen here.
Wheelchair Rugby
When: August 29 to September 2
Where: Champs de Mars Arena
In the modality, both male and female athletes can compete, with no gender division.
A points system that assesses each player’s functionality on the field is used. The classes are 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5; with lower functionality players having lower scores.
The sum of the points of the players on the field (5) cannot exceed eight. However, if the team is mixed, the score can reach nine.
Wheelchair Rugby
Naomi Baker
The event schedule can be seen here.
Taekwondo
When: August 29 to 31
Where: Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées
Taekwondo was one of the two sports (the other is Badminton) added to the Paralympic program for 2020. They replaced 7-a-side football and sailing and will continue in competition in 2024.
In these Paralympic Games, competitions are exclusive to athletes of classes K43 and K44, in three categories by gender.
- K43 – Athletes competing in Kyorugi, amputated in both upper limbs below the elbow and above or at the wrist joint.
- K44 – Athletes competing in Kyorugi, with an unilateral amputation above or at the wrist level.
Taekwondo
Adam Pretty
The event schedule can be seen here.
Table Tennis
When: August 29 to September 7
Table Tennis is played by male and female athletes who have intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, hearing loss, motor disabilities, or other conditions.
With rules and dynamics similar to the competition in the Olympic Games, the modality is divided into 11 classes:
- 1 to 5 – wheelchair athletes;
- 6 to 10 – ambulant athletes;
- 11 – athletes with intellectual disabilities;
Table Tennis
NurPhoto
The event schedule can be seen here.
Wheelchair Tennis
When: August 30 to September 7
Just like in the Olympic Games, the modality includes singles and doubles events, where male and female athletes with permanent motor injuries participate.
The game follows the traditional tennis rules, except that in Wheelchair Tennis the ball can hit the opponent’s side of the court twice without resulting in a point.
The event is divided into two classes:
- Open – athletes with permanent injury in one of the lower limbs;
- Quad – athletes with permanent injury in at least three limbs.
Wheelchair Tennis
Issei Kato
The event schedule can be seen here.
Shooting
When: August 29 to September 5
Where: Châteauroux Shooting Center
In the Paralympic Games, the modality will be contested by athletes, both male and female, with motor disabilities.
The event is divided into three classes:
- SH1 (Pistol) – athletes with one or two lower limbs compromised and/or support upper limb;
- SH1 (Rifle) – athletes with one or two lower limbs compromised;
- SH2 (Rifle) – athletes with impairment in one or both upper limbs, who need support for the firearm.
Portuguese athletes competing:
- Margarida Lapa, R5 10 meters Rifle SH2
Margarida Lapa
Paralympics Portugal
The event schedule can be seen here.
Archery
When: August 29 to September 5
Where: Hotel des Invalides
The modality is contested by athletes, both female and male, with motor disabilities, in singles and teams variants. The events are divided into two classes:
- Open – athletes in wheelchairs or who don’t have balance, using support aids;
- W1 – athletes who use a wheelchair to perform the shots.
Archery
Steph Chambers
The event schedule can be seen here.
Triathlon
When: September 1 and 2
Where: Alexandre III Bridge
Just like the Olympic event, the paratriathlon also includes swimming, cycling, and running, but with adjusted distances. There are nine distinct classes, between motor or visual disabilities, competing for six medals.
Portugal will make its debut in the modality at the Paralympic Games.
Portuguese athletes competing:
Filipe Marques
Portuguese Triathlon Federation
The event schedule can be seen here.
Sitting Volleyball
When: August 29 to September 7
In the modality, athletes with motor disabilities play in male and female teams.
As the name suggests, players play seated and are required to maintain contact with the floor with one buttock during the ball touch. The court is also divided into two zones but is smaller than a regular court.
Each game is decided best of five sets, and the team that scores 25 points in each wins. In case of a tie, the team that has two points of advantage wins.
Sitting Volleyball
Aitor Alcalde
The event schedule can be seen here.