Three years after Tokyo 2020, the Paralympic flame will burn in the French capital at the Games that aim to be the most watched and broadcasted in history. For eleven days, from 28 August to 8 September, the Games will bring together the elite of Paralympic sport, a group of more than 4,000 athletes competing in 22 disciplines. In this edition, the key message of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is to reverse the general perception that the Paralympic Games are a secondary and minor event to the Olympic Games and instead show that it is a world-class competition that brings together the best para-athletes on the planet.
In this edition, the Mexican delegation is made up of 67 athletes, divided between 31 men and 36 women, who will compete in 11 different disciplines, headed by athletics and swimming, the two sports that have contributed the most to the Paralympic medal count. In Tokyo, the most recent edition, the 60 athletes who represented Mexico won 22 medals (seven gold, two silver and 13 bronze), marking the best Paralympic participation since the 34 medals obtained in Athens 2004.
The current delegation includes figures such as Amalia Pérez Vázquez, four-time Paralympic powerlifting champion (adapted weightlifting) with four consecutive golds in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020; as well as wheelchair sprinter Salvador Hernández, eight-time Olympic medalist and standard-bearer along with Fabiola Ramírez, a swimmer who took bronze in Tokyo 2020.
Where to watch the Paralympic Games?
In Mexico and Latin America, Claro Sports will broadcast most sporting events through two simultaneous channels on YouTube. The launch will take place on August 28 at 12:00 (Mexico time) from the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees.
Mexicans’ calendar for the Paralympic Games
Athletics
From August 30th to September 8th
The athletics events will take place from August 30 to September 8, with medals awarded every day in different categories. At this Paralympic event, the Mexican delegation will be attending with 25 paraathletes, including eight-time Olympic medalist and national flag bearer Salvador Hernández. The national athletics team is made up of:
- Gilda Cota
- Gloria Zarza
- Rosa Maria Guerrero
- Osiris Machado
- Salvador Hernandez
- Leonardo by Jesus Perez
- Jose Ruiz
- Mario Ramos
- Maria de los Angeles Ortiz
- Edgar Navarro
- Edgar Fuentes
- Floralia Estrada
- Pauleth Mejia
- Luis Carlos Lopez
- Juan Pablo Cervantes
- Eliezer Gabriel Bonaventure
- Jose Chessani
- Kenya Lozano
- Rosa Castro
- Maria Navarro
- Leticia Ochoa
- Monica Rodriguez
- Daniela Velasco
- Yessica Jimenez
- Maria Salas
Boccia
August 29, 30 and 31 (qualifying), individual finals (September 1 and 2)
Eduardo Sánchez, two-time Parapan American champion and Mexico’s only representative in boccia, begins his participation in Paris 2024 on August 29. The discipline will award individual medals on September 1 and 2.
Cycling
August 29th to September 7th
Dulce María González, 27, from Nuevo León, will compete in the time trial and road races in the T1 category in Paris. While the track cycling event will take place from August 29 to September 2, the road cycling event will take place from September 4 to 7.
Equestrian
From September 3rd to 7th
The rider from Nuevo León, Ignacio Treviño, will participate in his second consecutive Paralympic Games from September 3 to 7 in the Grade III Para-Equestrian category.
Swimming
From August 29th to September 7th
The Defense Arena will open its doors for Paralympic swimming from August 29 to September 7. The national team, made up of 23 athletes, includes multi-medallists Jesús Hernández, Nely Miranda, Gustavo Sánchez and Diego López:
- Fabiola Ramirez
- Patricia Valle
- Jose Castorena
- Angel of Jesus Camacho
- Diego Lopez
- Christopher Tronco
- Pedro Rangel
- Jesus Gutierrez
- Marcos Zarate
- Nely Miranda
- Gustavo Sanchez
- Jesus Lopez
- Haidee Aceves
- Jesus Hernandez
- Juan Jose Gutierrez
- Naomi Ortiz
- Naomi Somellera
- Matilde Alcazar
- Raul Gutierrez
- Paola Ruvalcaba
- Natalia Gonzalez
- Karina Hernandez
- Citli Salinas
Powerlifting
(August 4-8)
Led by four-time world champion Amalia Pérez, the Mexican powerlifting delegation will enter into action on August 4 and competitions will continue until the closing of the Paralympic Games on August 8.
Rowing
August 30 and 31 (qualifying heats) and September 1 (finals)
Miguel Angel Nieto and Angeles Gutierrez will perform in Paris at the heats qualifiers that will take place on August 30 and 31. If they advance, the Mexicans could fight for medals in the finals that will be held on September 1.
Taekwondo
August 29, 30 and 31
The national Taekwondo team, made up of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion Juan Diego García, Luis Nájera, Claudia Romero, Jessica García and Fernanda Vargas, will take to the tatami at the Grand Palais on 29, 30 and 31 August. Medals will be awarded every day for the different categories.
Table tennis
From August 29th to September 7th
Table tennis, which will be represented by Paralympic debutant Martha Verdín and Claudia Pérez, who is facing her second games, starts on August 29 and ends on September 7, with medals awarded every day in different categories.
Archery
August 29-30 (qualifiers), August 31-September 5 (finals)
Archery competitions will begin with preliminary rounds on August 29 and 30, while the finals will award medals from August 31 to September 5. Mexican representatives will be archers Samuel Molina and Víctor Sardina.
Triathlon
September 1st and 2nd
Triathletes Brenda Osnaya (fifth place in Tokyo 2020) and Paralympic debutant Kenia Villalobos will represent Mexico in the Paris 2024 triathlon. The event in the waters of the Seine will take place on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 September.
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