Ukraine will be represented by 140 athletes at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, including 96 men and 44 women, according to a press conference held before the Games by Valeriy Sushkevych, President of the National Paralympic Committee.
This is an increase of 27 athletes from the previous Games. Of the 140 Paralympians, 101 have mobility impairments, 30 have visual impairments, and nine have intellectual and developmental disabilities. More than 23% of the team members are first-time Paralympians. The athletes come from 20 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.
For the 2024 Paralympics, Ukrainian athletes will compete in 17 out of 22 sports, marking a record in Ukraine's Paralympic history. The sports include athletics, powerlifting, judo, archery, table tennis, wheelchair fencing, shooting, swimming, rowing, cycling, goalball, canoeing, triathlon, badminton, taekwondo, boccia, and sitting volleyball.
For the first time in eight years, the Ukrainian sitting volleyball team will compete, including two veterans of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. Additionally, boccia and handbike will be debut sports for Ukrainian athletes.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport similar to bowling and pétanque. According to the National Paralympic Committee President, winning medals in this new discipline will be challenging, but the inclusion of boccia highlights the progress of Paralympic sports.
The 2024 Paralympic Games will be held in the capital of France from August 28 to September 8.
