(MENAFN- IANS) Paris, Aug 23 (IANS) A record number of 168 competing delegations including three new NPCs, and most female participants will compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced.
With the final numbers still to be fully confirmed due to teams still arriving in the French capital, it looks like the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will feature around 4,400 athletes from a record 168 delegations. This number includes 167 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), an eight-strong Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT), and up to 98 Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) (90 from Russia and 8 from Belarus).
The figure of 168 delegations for Paris 2024 surpasses the previous record of 164 delegations from the London 2012 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The previous highest number of athletes at a Paralympic Games was 4,393 from Tokyo 2020, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) informed in a release on Friday.
Three NPCs – Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo – will make their Paralympic debut in the French capital.
Competing across 549 medal events in 22 sports the 4,400 athletes are likely to include a record 1,983 females. The new record of 1,983 female athletes (45%), beats the previous best of 1,846 (42%) set at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and is more than double the 988 female athletes that lined up at Sydney 2000.
As well as a record number of female competitors, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will feature more medal events for women than ever before. The 235 medal events for women are eight more than the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said:“The IPC is constantly striving to engage with our members to advance the Paralympic Movement, so to achieve both a record number of competing delegations and female athletes for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is fantastic news.
“A lot of credit needs to go to our NPCs and International Federations for their outstanding efforts, in particular the three NPCs who will make their Paralympic debut in the French capital.
“To have 168 delegations at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games represents a 24% growth on the 135 nations that took part at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, while to be so close to achieving gender parity just 64 years after the first Paralympic Games is rapid progress," he said.
“What's most impressive is that at the same time, the number of competing delegations has grown, so has the number of female athletes and quality of sport and competition. I am confident Paris 2024 will be the best Paralympic Games yet in terms of athletic performance and levels of competition across all 22 sports.
“Since 2016, the IPC has invested millions of Euros each year into para-sports development programmes with our member organisations, with a real focus on increasing female participation at all levels. These efforts, coupled with the outstanding work of our NPCs and International Federations, are starting to pay off, delivering record results,” said the IPC president.
China, who have topped the medals table at each Paralympic Games since Athens 2004, boasts the largest delegation with 282 athletes (124 male and 158 female).
With 255 athletes (138 male, 117 female), Rio 2016 hosts Brazil have the second biggest delegation, followed by host nation France with 237 athletes (155 men and 82 women). For the first time in history, France will be represented in all 22 sports. The French team boasts 82 women, the greatest number it has ever sent to the Paralympic Games and more than double the 37 women that competed at Tokyo 2020. The French team's youngest athlete is Marie N'Goussou aged 15 in Para athletics.
USA will feature 220 athletes (110 male and 110 female), while Great Britain will have 201 (109 male and 92 female).
Thirty-five NPCs boast a record number of female athletes for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, while 27 NPC+ have more female athletes than male athletes.
Fifteen Para sports – Para archery, Para athletics, Para badminton, Para canoe, Para-cycling, Para equestrian, Para judo, Para powerlifting, Para rowing, Shooting Para sport, Para swimming, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, Para table tennis, and wheelchair rugby – have more female athletes competing in their sports compared to Tokyo 2020.
Para equestrian (17 male/61 female) and powerlifting (89 male/90 female) have more female competitors than males, while Para badminton, goalball, Para rowing, and wheelchair basketball have achieved gender parity. Boccia (68 male/57 female), Para judo (79 male/68 female), Para Taekwondo (61 male/60 female), Para triathlon (66 male/55 female), sitting volleyball (96 male 91 female) and wheelchair fencing (49 male/48 female) are almost at gender parity.
Para Athletics will feature the most competitors, 1,135 athletes who will contest 164 medal events. Para swimming is the second largest sport starring 608 athletes who will compete in 141 medal events. Para table tennis has the third most athletes with 182 athletes who will compete in 31 medal events.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place between 28 August and 8 September.
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