PARALYMPIC GAMES – For this first weekend of the Paralympic Games, you might take the opportunity to watch the events on France Télévisions or Eurosport, or even go to the sites if you are one of the 2 million people who have already bought tickets.
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games: Here’s how to navigate the disability categories
To get into the swing of things, Le HuffPost provides an update on the rules and specificities of the five Paralympic team sports.
• Wheelchair basketball
What doesn’t change compared to basketball:
A lot of things. The court remains the same (28 x 15 m), as does the height of the baskets (3.05 m). The scoring too, with 2 and 3 point shots, as well as the 1 point free throw. Both teams are still made up of five players.
What changes compared to basketball:
Wheelchair requires, the rule of “walking” is adapted: players must bounce the ball or make a pass every two pushes of the wheels. There is no restart of dribbling.
La classification :
Each player has a rating from 1.0 to 4.5 depending on their degree of handicap. In total, each team on the field must not exceed a total of 14 points.
• Wheelchair rugby
What does not change compared to rugby:
You must cross the opponent’s goal line to score a try.
What changes compared to rugby:
Almost everything. Contrary to what its name might suggest, wheelchair rugby is not played with an oval ball, but with the round volleyball. The four players of each team – potentially mixed – must pass the ball to each other to cross the opponent’s goal line. A try is validated if at least two of the wheelchair’s wheels have crossed the line.
Another specific feature: forward passes are allowed. Each player also has ten seconds to dribble or pass the ball.
The pitch measures 28 x 15 m and matches are played over four periods of eight minutes. Attackers must score a try in 40 seconds, which is worth one point. After this time, the ball is given to the opposing team.
La classification :
In this sport, which involves athletes with disabilities in the upper and lower limbs, each player is ranked by points according to their degree of disability: from 0.5 points (for the most penalized) to 3.5 points. A team cannot total more than 8 points on the field, but bringing in a female player increases the ceiling by 0.5 points.
• Blind football
What does not change compared to football:
The goalkeeper, who has the right to see and is not disabled, as well as the scoring, goal by goal.
What changes compared to football:
Aimed at visually impaired para-athletes, blind football is played five-on-five on a 40 x 20 m pitch. Sound plays a central role, as the ball contains bells that allow players to spot it. This is why absolute silence is required in the stands and around the pitch when the ball is in play.
In attack, players are guided by an assistant positioned behind the opposing goals who directs them to find their way to the opposing team’s nets. In addition to the sound of bells, the « voy ! » is a characteristic element of the sport: it is through this vocal code that players indicate their presence near the ball.
La classification :
Several categories exist according to the visual acuity (zero or very low) of the players (B1, B2 and B3). But in order to preserve fairness at the Paralympic Games, each player competes blindfolded.
• Volley-ball assis
What does not change compared to volleyball:
Matches are played in three winning sets played to 25 points, with the exception of the 5th (in 15 points). A difference of at least two points is required to win a set. There are always six players per team – including a libero at the back, who is only allowed to defend – and the ball used remains the same.
What changes compared to volleyball:
The court is smaller (6 x 10 m), due to more complicated movements. The net is placed 1.15 m from the ground for men and 1.05 m for women. In fact, it is possible to counter serves, which is an important element of the game.
All six players on each team must be seated. The players’ buttocks or backs must always remain in contact with the ground. They can therefore move by sliding.
La classification :
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VS1: visible and severe disabilities, most often amputated lower or upper limbs.
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VS2: lighter disabilities, with para-athletes who have less difficulty moving.
There can only be two VS2 players maximum per team listed on the match sheet, and only one on the field at a time.
• Goalball
Reserved for visually impaired and blind athletes, this sport has no Olympic equivalent. In goalball, each team is made up of three players and three substitutes. The rules of the game? Throw the ball into the opposing goal during a match divided into two 12-minute periods, on a court the size of a volleyball court.
The goal is 9 meters long, the entire width of the field. Markers are placed on the ground to help players find their way. Each player, in attacking position, has 10 seconds to take their shot. To prevent their opponents from scoring, the defenders stretch out to their full length to stop the ball.
Another golden rule to respect: the public must remain silent so that the players can hear the sound of the ball, filled with bells.
La classification :
There are several categories depending on the visual acuity of the players (B1, B2 and B3). But as in blind football, the players are blindfolded at the Paralympic Games to ensure fairness between the teams.
Also see on Le HuffPost :
All French medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, updated event by event
Paralympic Games: These countries reward their Paralympic and Olympic medalists as much
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