The 17th Summer Paralympics begins today with the opening ceremony from Paris at 8 pm local time (2 pm ET). The ceremony will take place in the French capital's iconic Place de la Concorde after a parade down the Champs-Elysées as 4,400 athletes from 184 delegations commence France's first Paralympics.
Over 11 days, Paralympians will compete in 22 sports across 20 venues, including canoe, taekwondo, wheelchair fencing, and more (see full list). Within each sport, athletes are classified and compete according to their permanent impairment, whether physical, visual, or intellectual (see list of eligible impairments). For example, badminton has six distinct events, some featuring those in wheelchairs and others pitting athletes of short stature against each other. See a breakdown here.
The Paralympics began as the Stoke Mandeville Games in England amid World War II, an event started by German-British neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who believed sports helped injured people rehabilitate their bodies and self-respect. Watch a history here.
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