- The Paralympic Games in Paris will start this Wednesday, 28 August, and will last for twelve days, until the next 8 September, according to the organization. It will be the edition in which more Basque athletes will compete for the last four Paralympic Games.
The Olympic Games were over seventeen days ago, but that does not mean that the Olympic competition is over. The passion for gold is still alive in many athletes. As usual, after the completion of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games begin, starting today and ending on 8 September. 23 sports will be played and 4,500 athletes will compete, including 21 Basques. There will be five athletes from Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Iparralde, and three from Álava and Navarra.
Basque athletes will compete in ten sports: There will be five categories for wheelchair basketball, four for biking and swimming, two for table tennis, and one Basque representative for shooting, archery, sprint canoeing, boccia and triathlon.
The largest Basque group in the last four editions
Eight Basque athletes participated in the Rio de Janeiro Games. On that occasion, it was concluded that the small number of births was due to the decrease in the birth rate in the Basque Country. It was hoped, once again, that in the Olympics there will be fewer high-level athletes. On the contrary, Paris 2024 will be the Paralympic Game with more Basque athletes from the last four editions.
With regard to the participation of women, the number of athletes has also increased compared to Tokyo. Of the 21 Basque athletes, nine will be female and 12 male.