Paris 2024 Paralympics: How to watch, stream and what to expect

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games will take place on Wednesday, August 28th and preparations are well underway. The Paralympic Committee had *** recent press conference noting that this year's games will break records on participation. We have 100 and 67 National Paralympic Committees here ready to compete. That is *** record for us. The previous record was 100 and 64 that was set at the London 2012 games and equaled also in Tokyo. The committee also touted another accomplishment regarding the gender of athletes competing. We have 1983 female athletes which is *** record for us. Uh ensures we're at 45% for the games. I think that's *** tremendous achievement bearing in mind our first games were in 1960. So to almost achieve gender parity in such *** short time frame is really encouraging warriors knows there will also be an eight strong refugee squad. The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games will take place on Wednesday, August 28th and preparations are well underway. The Paralympic Committee had *** recent press conference noting that this year's games will break records on participation. We have 100 and 67 National Paralympic Committees here ready to compete. That is *** record for us. The previous record was 100 and 64 that was set at the London 2012 games and equaled also in Tokyo. The committee also touted another accomplishment regarding the gender of athletes competing. We have 1983 female athletes which is *** record for us. Uh ensures we're at 45% for the games. I think that's *** tremendous achievement bearing in mind our first games were in 1960. So to almost achieve gender parity in such *** short time frame is really encouraging warriors knows there will also be an eight strong refugee squad.

The Paralympic Games are open as some 4,400 athletes with disabilities, permanent injuries or impairments compete for 549 medals across 22 sports over 11 days in Paris.ABOVE VIDEO: The 2024 Paralympic Games set to break records in participation & inclusionThe French capital, which just hosted the Olympics, again provides the backdrop for what promises to be another spectacle, with many of the same venues hosting Paralympic competitions.How to watchNBCUniversal’s coverage of the Paralympics, which runs through Sept. 8, features more ways for viewers to watch their favorite events, competitions and athletes than ever before, covering broadcast and cable networks and streaming service Peacock.Peacock will be the U.S. streaming home of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, providing fans with the most-comprehensive Paralympic destination in U.S. media history. Coverage will include the most streaming hours ever for a Paralympic event, with approximately 1,500 hours of live coverage across all 22 Paralympic sports set to be streamed on Peacock throughout the 12-day event.Every weekday, USA Network will provide Paralympic fans with at least nine hours of coverage of the Games�� most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, track & field, wheelchair basketball, and more. CNBC will present live action and programming each weekend throughout the Paralympics. What to expectMore than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments will compete in 22 sports from Thursday until Sept. 8.Of the 22 sports, only two do not have an Olympic equivalent �� goalball and boccia. In goalball, teams of visually impaired or blind players take turns rolling a ball containing bells toward the opposing goal while the defending team’s players act as goalkeepers. In boccia, players throw or roll leather balls as close as they can to a small ball called a jack.Other wheelchair sports include basketball, fencing, rugby and tennis.The other sports are sitting volleyball, blind soccer, and para archery, athletics, badminton, canoe, cycling, equestrian, judo, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and triathlon.Blind soccer involving teams of five playing with a ball containing rattles will be played beside the Eiffel Tower.Compared to the previous edition of the Paralympics in Tokyo, 10 medal events have been added to give female athletes and those with high-support needs more opportunities.To compete at the Paralympics, athletes must have “an underlying health condition that leads to a permanent eligible impairment,�� the International Paralympic Committee says.Impairments can be caused by the likes of cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, physical injuries or an intellectual impairment, blindness or reduced sight.The storylines to watchMany of the competing athletes have titles to defend.Para shooter Avani Lekhara, the first Indian woman to win a pair of medals at a single edition of the Paralympics, returns to defend her 10-meter air rifle gold in the SH1 category from Tokyo.The SH1 category is for rifle shooters with lower limb impairments like amputations or paraplegia who can hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position.American multi-sport specialist Oksana Masters won a hand-cycle road race and time trial at the Tokyo Paralympics, and she will be looking to add to her career total of seven gold and 17 medals overall in both summer and winter events.Para powerlifter Sherif Osman of Egypt is going for his fourth gold medal, and Italian fencer Bebe Vio is vying for her third consecutive gold in wheelchair fencing. After contracting meningitis as a child, doctors amputated both her legs and her forearms to save her life.Brazil is unbeaten in blind soccer going back to the first tournament in Athens in 2004, but France harbors hopes of an upset. The hosts kick off against China and Brazil plays Turkey on Sept. 1, a day before the teams meet for a potentially decisive match in Group A.And there are other storylines.Visually impaired Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo will be the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics when she races in the heats for her classification in the women’s 400 meters on Sept. 2.American swimmer Ali Truwit is competing a year after losing her lower leg in a shark attack while snorkeling.Teenage swimmer David Kratochvil is carrying Czech hopes of a medal after losing his sight because of a serious illness about 10 years ago. The 16-year-old Kratochvil used to play ice hockey but switched to the pool, where he set world records in the 50 and 200 meter backstroke last year.Many more wait to be told over the next two weeks.

PARIS, IDF —

The Paralympic Games are open as some 4,400 athletes with disabilities, permanent injuries or impairments compete for 549 medals across 22 sports over 11 days in Paris.

ABOVE VIDEO: The 2024 Paralympic Games set to break records in participation & inclusion

The French capital, which just hosted the Olympics, again provides the backdrop for what promises to be another spectacle, with many of the same venues hosting Paralympic competitions.

How to watch

NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Paralympics, which runs through Sept. 8, features more ways for viewers to watch their favorite events, competitions and athletes than ever before, covering broadcast and cable networks .

of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, providing fans with the most-comprehensive Paralympic destination in U.S. media history. Coverage will include the most streaming hours ever for a Paralympic event, with approximately set to be streamed on Peacock throughout the 12-day event.

Every weekday, USA Network will provide Paralympic fans with at least nine hours of coverage of the Games�� most exciting events, including live finals coverage of swimming, track & field, wheelchair basketball, and more. CNBC will present live action and programming each weekend throughout the Paralympics.

What to expect

More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments will compete in 22 sports from Thursday until Sept. 8.

Of the 22 sports, only two do not have an Olympic equivalent �� goalball and boccia. In goalball, teams of visually impaired or blind players take turns rolling a ball containing bells toward the opposing goal while the defending team’s players act as goalkeepers. In boccia, players throw or roll leather balls as close as they can to a small ball called a jack.

Other wheelchair sports include basketball, fencing, rugby and tennis.

The other sports are sitting volleyball, blind soccer, and para archery, athletics, badminton, canoe, cycling, equestrian, judo, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo and triathlon.

Blind soccer involving teams of five playing with a ball containing rattles will be played beside the Eiffel Tower.

Compared to the previous edition of the Paralympics in Tokyo, 10 medal events have been added to give female athletes and those with high-support needs more opportunities.

To compete at the Paralympics, athletes must have “an underlying health condition that leads to a permanent eligible impairment,�� the International Paralympic Committee says.

Impairments can be caused by the likes of cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, physical injuries or an intellectual impairment, blindness or reduced sight.

The storylines to watch

Many of the competing athletes have titles to defend.

Para shooter Avani Lekhara, the first Indian woman to win a pair of medals at a single edition of the Paralympics, returns to defend her 10-meter air rifle gold in the SH1 category from Tokyo.

The SH1 category is for rifle shooters with lower limb impairments like amputations or paraplegia who can hold their gun without difficulty and shoot from a standing or sitting position.

American multi-sport specialist Oksana Masters won a hand-cycle road race and time trial at the Tokyo Paralympics, and she will be looking to add to her career total of seven gold and 17 medals overall in both summer and winter events.

Para powerlifter Sherif Osman of Egypt is going for his fourth gold medal, and Italian fencer Bebe Vio is vying for her third consecutive gold in wheelchair fencing. After contracting meningitis as a child, doctors amputated both her legs and her forearms to save her life.

Brazil is unbeaten in blind soccer going back to the first tournament in Athens in 2004, but France harbors hopes of an upset. The hosts kick off against China and Brazil plays Turkey on Sept. 1, a day before the teams meet for a potentially decisive match in Group A.

And there are other storylines.

Visually impaired Italian sprinter Valentina Petrillo will be the first transgender woman to compete at the Paralympics when she races in the heats for her classification in the women’s 400 meters on Sept. 2.

American swimmer Ali Truwit is competing a year after losing her lower leg in a shark attack while snorkeling.

Teenage swimmer David Kratochvil is carrying Czech hopes of a medal after losing his sight because of a serious illness about 10 years ago. The 16-year-old Kratochvil used to play ice hockey but switched to the pool, where he set world records in the 50 and 200 meter backstroke last year.

Many more wait to be told over the next two weeks.