PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS
![A male swimmer with a cap of Australia jumping in the water with another male swimmer in the foreground](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/GettyImages-1337727272.jpg?itok=g5R41Yk7)
Hodge leads home squad at season opener World Series in Australia
Citi Para Swimming World Series kicks off in Melbourne with 93 athletes from 11 countries including a local star aiming high for the new season
![A female runner smiles and raises her right arm in a salute as she comes off the running track.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/Hlompho%20Kete%20hand%20wave.jpg?h=558955cf&itok=xEkC10iO)
Self-acceptance helps Kete embrace life after losing eyesight in medical mystery
"I’ve learned that I’m like this, I have to accept myself like this" - teenage sprinter from Lesotho encourages young athletes to be confident about their disabilities and to chase their dreams
![A male wheelchair tennis player makes a serve on a hard green court with his left arm stretched out wide.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/Michael%20Jeremiasz%20Rio%202016.jpg?h=e62e0459&itok=cMbd82tb)
Jeremiasz serves up intimate talk on sex and disability in groundbreaking podcast
No topics are off limits for Paralympic champion and Paris 2024 Ambassador Michael Jeremiasz who is eager to encourage people with disabilities to be open about their sexuality
![A man stands in front of a display of chocolates](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/1%20Gerrard%20Gosens%20chocolate.jpg?h=22f93aea&itok=RH8zEYQw)
Three-time Paralympian, chocolate maker Gosens says “yes” to all things sweet in life
Looking for something sweet to give your date on Valentine's Day? Australian Para triathlete Gerrard Gosens, who runs a chocolate business in Brisbane, Australia, may have the perfect solution
![Tunisia's wheelchair racing star Walid Ktila](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-06/Walid%20Ktila.jpg?itok=uB4t2RNO)
Tunis 2023: Ktila, Chida shine with twin golds
Paralympic stars propel hosts Tunisia to top of medals table; Iraq and Uzbekistan impress too at season opener
![Two sets of mascot designs, one is a pair of flowers and the other is a pair of stoats](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-06/Milano%20Cortina%20mascot%20design%20shortlist_0.jpg?itok=QuN2qZcM)
Milano Cortina 2026 unveils finalists of mascots designs submitted by school students
Two proposals inspired by the nature of Italy were revealed on 8 February at the Sanremo music festival, and a public survey was launched to help select the design of the Games mascots
![Three men wearing Italy's Para ice hockey jersey posing for a picture](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/IMG_20220803_174050_996%20%28002%29.jpg?itok=Ptjiy9c0)
Macri heading to his fifth Games in a different fashion
Defender is one of three players on the Italian national team working for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Organising Committee
![Paris 2024 Look of the Games featuring Champ de Mars Arena](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/Paris2024-Look%20of%20the%20Games-Champ-de-Mars%20Arena.jpg?h=bccbafc2&itok=nDG5Q0Rg)
Paris 2024 reveals official pictograms, Look of the Games
The 23 Paralympic disciplines are represented by 15 Paralympic-only pictograms and eight pictograms that are shared with Olympic disciplines
![Shingo Kunieda holds his gold medal and mascot on podium](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2021-09/GettyImages-1338261777.jpg?h=050ff4d9&itok=T0QaLafz)
Japan’s five-time Paralympian Kunieda says he had the “best” tennis career
Shingo Kunieda announced his retirement from wheelchair tennis in January 2023 while at the top of the men’s singles rankings
![A graphic to announce the volunteer application for Manchester 2023 with a picture of six volunteers](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/Apply%20to%20volunteer%20MCR2023%20post%20%281%29.jpg?itok=HpVDnEGi)
Manchester 2023: Applications open for volunteer opportunities
Around 250 volunteers to help delivering the World Championships; completed application forms must be submitted to no later than 24 March
![An image showing laboratory plastic tubes](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2020-11/Lab-Doping1_0.jpg?itok=6Gy2z96L)
Para ice hockey athlete Konstantin Shikhov receives 18-month ban
IPC appeal to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against first instance national-level decision upheld
![A short-stature woman celebrating with the flag of Tunisia](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/1801679.jpg?itok=UZni5wHz)
Tunis kicks off the 2023 Grand Prix season
Nearly 300 athletes from 25 countries to take part in the opening event of the season that marks the 10th anniversary of the Grand Prix
![A female athlete with a prosthetic leg skates.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/Stef%20Reid%2C%20skating.jpg?h=3adb7a8a&itok=54qTXxr-)
Four-time Paralympian Reid swaps blades for skates to pursue big goals on ice
Reid, a medal-winning Para long jumper and sprinter, wants to nail a jump on ice
![Group photo of Para ice hockey players and staff celebrating the win.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-03/rsz_1gettyimages-1384571398.jpg?itok=8heWOc54)
Beijing 2022: A year on, China reaps social, economic benefits created by the Games
One year after the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, all the Beijing 2022 venues are being enjoyed by the public and local athletes, and the winter sports industry in the country is booming
![An underwater image of three female Para swimmers jumping in the water at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/1804185.jpg?h=b2218476&itok=-cXylNzP)
Paralympic event schedule for Paris 2024 revealed
A total of 141 medal events will take place in the swimming pool of the Paris La Defense Arena from 29 August to 7 September
![Overhead view of a male wheelchair racer in the Olympic Stadium at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/1803507.jpg?itok=PIGaHrBo)
Paris 2024 Paralympic event schedule is out!
The Stade de France will host 1,069 athletes competing in 164 medal events in Para athletics from 30 August to 8 September
![A female Para powerlifter celebrated on stage with five people around her](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-02/WPPO-TOKYO2020.jpg?itok=cR130oDY)
Paris 2024 unveils Para powerlifting event schedule
The Porte de La Chapelle Arena will see the five days of competition from 4 to 8 September next year
![A female shooter with a rifle in a shooting Para sport competition](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/52129601900_151c1ec0dd_c.jpg?h=d0cbf804&itok=TcXQxV4F)
Paris 2024 announces shooting Para sport event schedule
Thirteen medal events to take place from 30 August to 5 September next year at the CNTS in Chateauroux
![A mock-up image of the Place de la Concorde as it lights up in purple colours for the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-10/Paris%202024%20Opening%20Ceremony%20Concorde.jpg?h=171a6253&itok=AkVMoLJi)
Paris 2024 announces Paralympic Games event calendar
World’s best athletes to compete in 22 Para sports and 549 events across 11 days of competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
![A man in and a woman, her right hand on his shoulder and a gold medal around her neck, pose in front of an official backdrop.](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2023-01/Sevda%20Valiyeva%20Rufat%20Hajili%20Azerbaijan%20judo.jpeg?h=774bbc88&itok=cOXvbVjw)
How a special relationship with judo helped Azerbaijan make history at Tokyo 2020
‘We believed in our triumph, it began from spirit and soul’ - Sevda Valiyeva, Paralympic champion in the women's up to 57kg class