How to watch the 2024 Paralympic games online or on TV: schedule, sports and more

After a several-week break period after the Olympics, its time for its regular second-part: the 2024 Paralympic Games kicks off with its opening ceremony on Wednesday, August 28, ready to begin 11 days of games.

The Paralympic Games is the Summer Olympics' counterpart, which celebrates athletes with a range of disabilities. In total there are 22 sports being contested including archery, rowing, fencing and taekwondo and you can find the full list below.

As with the Summer Olympics earlier in the month, the Paralympic games are being hosted in Paris, France, with many of the same arenas, stadiums and tracks being used for the next round of games.

In many parts of the world, you can watch the Paralympic games in the same way that you could the Olympics, but that's not true in every single country. So to ensure that you have a way to watch the sports, we'll help you figure out how to watch the Paralympics, including an overview of the schedule.

How to watch the 2024 Paralympic Games in the US

If you live in the US, you'll be able to watch Paralympic Games coverage on Peacock, the same streaming service that hosted Olympic Games streams. So if you signed up for the first tournament, you'll hopefully still have your subscription ready for the second!

Peacock is an app for most smart devices that will host live streams of each event, so you can easily jump to whichever of the sports it is you're wanting to watch. If its Olympic features still work, it'll also let you track ongoing medals and watch up to four events at once.

Peacock costs $5.99 per month for its basic tier and $11.99 for its upgraded one, with annual plans available for $59.99 and $119.99 respectively. The main difference between the two is that when you're watching movies and TV shows, the cheaper plan makes you watch commercials while the pricier one doesn't.

How to watch the 2024 Paralympic Games in the UK

To watch the 2024 Paralympic Games in the UK, you'll have to rely on Channel 4. Nope, not iPlayer, BBC One/Two or Discovery Plus like for the Olympics, because broadcasting rights have moved over for the Paralympics.

Channel 4 will be broadcasting the Paralympics in several ways: on TV it has its Channel 4 and More4 channels, and online it has its streaming service (also called Channel 4, confusingly) and the Channel 4 Sport channel on YouTube.

The broadcaster has stated that it'l be showing 1,300 hours of Paralympic coverage between these four outlets, but not how it's dividing up the events or sports, so you should probably check around to try and find the individual events you'd like to watch.

All of these options are free for those who pay their license fee.

How to watch the 2024 Paralympic Games in Australia

As with the Olympic Games, the 2024 Paralympic Games will be broadcast in Australia via the streaming service 9Now.

9Now will host live streams of each event, letting you jump into whichever you're interested in streaming and watch to your heart's content. Best of all, 9Now is free to use.

How to watch the 2024 Paralympic Games everywhere else

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the 2024 Paralympic Games, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). 

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite shows, movies, sports or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our guide to the best VPNs for streaming.

How to use a VPN to watch any stream

• Download the app at NordVPN
• Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
• Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!

NordVPN is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to watch what you want, from wherever you want to watch it.

It's straightforward and easy to use, has great security, is available on loads of streaming devices and, best of all, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out 100% risk-free. Give it a go.

2024 Paralympic Games sports & schedule

Below, you can find a full list of all of the sports being contested at the 2024 Paralympic Games, as well as the full schedule for each of them. 

They'll be listed in alphabetical order, but to quickly find your favorite event, press Control and F to open a page search function and type in whichever it is you want to see.

Ceremonies

• Wednesday, August 28: Opening Ceremony
• Sunday, September 8: Closing Ceremony

Archery

There are nine Para Archery events: men's, women's and mixed team versions of W1, compound open and recurve open archery.

• Thursday, August 29: ranking rounds
• Friday, August 30: 1/16 eliminations
• Saturday, August 31: women's individual W1 and compound open 1/8ths, quarter-final, semi-final and bronze and gold medal matches
• Sunday, September 1: men's individual W1 and compound open 1/8ths, quarter-final, semi-final and bronze and gold medal matches
• Monday, September 2: mixed team W1 and compound quarter-final, semi-final and bronze and gold medal matches.
• Tuesday, September 3: women's individual recurve open 1/16ths, 1/8ths, quarter-finals, semi-finals and bronze and gold medal matches
• Wednesday, September 4: men's individual recurve open 1/16ths, 1/8ths, quarter-finals, semi-finals and bronze and gold medal matches
• Thursday, September 5: mixed team recurve open 1/16ths, 1/8ths, quarter-finals, semi-finals and bronze and gold medal matches

Athletics

There are a grand total of 164 athletics events being contested. Track events are 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon, and field events are high jump, long jump, shot put, discus, javelin and club throw, for both men and women, with a relay too. Then there are 30 different subcategories for different disabilities.

On average there are 20 gold medal events per day, with loads of early-round elimination events for each, so a full schedule would be incredibly long. But here are the key dates:

• Friday, August 30: athletics begins
• Sunday, September 8: athletics ends

Badminton

There are 16 different badminton events: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, with a range of different disability classes for each.

Here's the schedule of when the rounds take place:

• Thursday, August 29: group play matches
• Friday, August 30: group play matches
• Saturday, August 31: group play matches, some quarter-finals and semi-finals
• Sunday, September 1: quarter-finals, semi-finals and some bronze and gold medal matches
• Monday, September 2: bronze and gold medal matches

Boccia

There are 11 events that make up the Paralympic Boccia competition: four men's individual, four women's individual, two pairs and one mixed team event, with different disability subcategories.

Here's the breakdown of the rota:

• Thursday, August 29: men's & women's individual pool matches
• Friday, August 30: men's & women's individual pool matches
• Saturday, August 31: men's & women's individual pool matches & quarter-finals
• Sunday, September 1: men's & women's individual quarter-finals, semi-finals & bronze and gold medal matches
• Monday, September 2: men's & women's individual gold medal matches
• Tuesday, September 3: mixed pairs & mixed team pool matches
• Wednesday, September 4: mixed pairs & mixed team quarter-finals & semi-finals
• Thursday, September 5: mixed pairs & mixed team bronze and gold medal matches

Basketball

The wheelchair basketball strand of the Paralympics makes up two events: a men's and a women's one. Here's the schedule:

• Thursday, August 29: men's & women's preliminary round
• Friday, August 30: men's & women's preliminary round
• Saturday, August 31: men's & women's preliminary round
• Sunday, September 1: men's & women's preliminary round
• Monday, September 2: men's & women's preliminary round
• Tuesday, September 3: men's quarter-finals
• Wednesday, September 4: men's classification qualifying 5-8 & women's quarter-finals
• Thursday, September 5: men's & women's classification qualifying 5-8 & men's semi-finals
• Friday, September 6: men's playoff 7-8 & women's semi-finals
• Saturday, September 7: women's playoff 7-8 & men's bronze & gold medal matches
• Sunday, September 8: women's bronze & gold medal matches

Canoe

Ten events will contribute to the canoe sport at the Paralympics, or Paracanoe as it's called. There are three kayak and two va'a events for different disability classifications, for men and for women.

• Friday, September 6: heats
• Saturday, September 7: semi-finals and finals for men's kayak KL1, KL2 and KL3, & women's va'a VL2 and VL3
• Sunday, September 8: semi-finals and finals for women's kayak KL1, KL2 and KL3, & men's va'a VL2 and VL3

Cycling

Cycling at the Paralympics is broken up into two different sports: road cycling (34 events: 20 men, 13 women and 1 mixed) and road track (17 events: 9 men, 7 women and 1 mixed).

Each event will go through the entire qualification and medals matches on the same day.

• Thursday, August 29: women's C4-5 500m time trial, women's C1-3 3000m individual pursuit, men's C1 3000m individual pursuit, men's B 4000m individual pursuit (all track).
• Friday, August 30: men's C4-5 1000m time trial, women's C4 3000m individual pursuit, men's C2 3000m individual pursuit, men's C3 3000m individual pursuit, women's B 1000m time trial (all track).
• Saturday, August 31: women's C1-3 500m time trial, men's C1-3 1000m time trial men's C4 4000m individual pursuit, men's C5 4000m individual pursuit (all track).
• Sunday, September 1: men's B 1000m time trial, women's B 3000m individual pursuit, women's C5 3000m individual pursuit, open C1-5 750m team sprint (all track).
• Wednesday, September 4: women's B, C1-3, C4, C5, H1-3, H4-5 and T1-2 individual time trial and men's B, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5 and T1-2 individual time trial (all road).
• Thursday, September 5: women's H1-4 and H5 road race, men's H1-2, H3, H4 and H5 road race (all road).
• Friday, September 6: women's B and C4-5 road race, men's B and C4-5 road race (all road).
• Saturday, September 7: women's C1-3 and T1-2 road race, men's C1-3 and T1-2 road race and mixed H1-5 team relay (all road).

Equestrian

• Tuesday, September 3: grade 1, 2 and 3 individual events
• Wednesday, September 4: grade 4 and 5 individual events
• Friday, September 6: team event
• Saturday, September 7: grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 individual free events

Fencing

Wheelchair fencing has 16 events contested at the Paralympics: épée A, B and team, foil A, B and team and sabre A and B for both men and women.

Each strand will go through its entire run, from the table of 32 to the gold medal bout, on the same day. Here's when each will take place:

• Tuesday, September 3: women's sabre category A & B, men's sabre A & B
• Wednesday, September 4: women's foil A & B and men's foil A & B
• Thursday, September 5: women's foil team & men's foil team
• Friday, September 6: women's épée category A & B & men's épée category A & B
• Saturday, September 7:  women's épée team & men's épée team

Football (5-a-side)

The 5-a-side football at the Paralympics, also called blind football, will see eight men's teams compete: Brazil, China, France, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia, Morocco and Japan.

• Sunday, September 1: preliminary round match 1
• Monday, September 2: preliminary round match 2
• Tuesday, September 3: preliminary round match 3
• Thursday, September 5: play-offs and semi-finals
• Saturday, September 7: bronze and gold medal matches

Goalball

There are two events making up the Paralympic goalball competition: a men's and a women's one. Each one has eight teams playing for gold. Both have the same schedule for the preliminary round.

• Thursday, August 29: preliminary round match 1
• Friday, August 30: preliminary round match 2
• Saturday, August 31: preliminary round match 3
• Sunday, September 1: preliminary round match 4
• Monday, September 2: men's quarter-finals
• Tuesday, September 3: men's classification play-offs and women's quarter-finals
• Wednesday, September 4: women's classification play-off, men's & women's semi-finals
• Thursday, September 5: men's & women's bronze medal and gold medal matches

Judo

Sixteen events will be contested at the Paralympic judo competition. Eight are for men, eight are for women, with each having two disability classes across four weight groups.

Each event will be contested on a single day, starting with the elimination round early in the morning and running to the final and bronze medal contests in the early evening.

• Thursday, September 5: women's 48kg J1 & J2 and 57kg J1, men's -60kg J1 & J2
• Friday, September 6: women's 57kg K2 and 70kg J1 & J2, men's 73kg J1 & J2
• Saturday, September 7: women's +70kg J1 & J2, men's 90kg J1 & J2 and +90kg J1 & J2

Powerlifting

Powerlifting will see 20 events contested, with an even split between men's and women's ones at different weight categories.

Each event will just be contested once, with no rounds; here's when each of them fall.

• Wednesday, September 4: men's 49kg & 54kg, women's 41kg & 54kg
• Thursday, September 5: men's 59kg & 65kg, women's 50kg & 55kg
• Friday, September 6: men's 72kg & 80kg, women's 61kg & 67kg
• Saturday, September 7: men's 88kg & 97kg, women's 73kg & 79kg
• Sunday, September 8: men's 107kg & +107kg, women's 86kg & +86kg

Rowing

In the Paralympic rowing competition, five events are being contested: men's and women's singles PR1, mixed double PR2 and PR3 and mixed coxed PR3. Each has the same schedule and you can find it here:

• Friday, August 30: heats
• Saturday, August 31: reperchage
• Sunday, September 1: finals

Rugby

In the wheelchair rugby Paralympics competition, only one event will be contested, with a mixed team event. Eight teams are playing: Australia, US, Great Britain, Canada, France, Denmark, Japan and Germany.

• Thursday, August 29: group round match 1
• Friday, August 30: group round match 2
• Saturday, August 31: group round match 3
• Sunday, September 1: placing play-offs and semi-finals
• Monday, September 2: play-offs, bronze medal match and gold medal match

Swimming

There are a whopping 141 events in the Paralympic swimming pool between 71 men's, 64 women's and 6 mixed ones.

Each event will take place on a single day, with heats in the morning and finals in the afternoon. There are roughly 15 events per day so they can't all be listed here but these are the key dates:

• Thursday, August 29: swimming begins
• Saturday, September 7: swimming ends

Table tennis

With 31 different events being contested at the Para table tennis, it's going to be a busy schedule. There are 15 men's ones, 14 women's ones and 2 mixed, in different categories.

Matches are going on throughout loads of the Paralympic schedule, but below we'll list the semi-finals and finals, when medals get handed out.

• Thursday, August 29: women's doubles WD14 semi-final 1 and 2
• Friday, August 30: women's doubles WD14 gold medal match, women's doubles WD5 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's doubles MD4 semi-final 1 and 2 & MD8 semi-final 1 and 2.
• Saturday, August 31: mixed doubles XD17 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, mixed doubles XD7 semi-final 1 and 2, women's doubles WD10 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's doubles WD20 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's doubles MD14 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's doubles MD18 semi-final 1 and 2, men's doubles MD4 gold medal match, men's doubles MD8 gold medal match
• Sunday, September 1: men's doubles MD14 gold medal match, men's doubles MD14 gold medal match, mixed doubles XD7 gold medal match
• Tuesday, September 3: men's singles MS5 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's singles MS10 semi-final 1 and 2, women's singles WS10 semi-final 1 and 2.
• Wednesday, September 4: women's singles WS5 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's singles WS10 gold medal match, men's singles MS1 semi-final 1 and 2, men's singles MS2 semi-final 1 and 2, men's singles MS10 gold medal match.
• Thursday, September 5: women's singles WS1-2 semi-final 1 and 2,  women's singles WS7 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's singles WS11 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's singles MS2 gold medal match, men's singles MS3 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's singles MS6 semi-final 1 and 2, men's singles MS11 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match.
• Friday, September 6: men's singles MS1 gold medal match, men's singles MS6 gold medal match, men's singles MS7 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's singles MS8 semi-final 1 and 2, women's singles WS1-2 gold medal match, women's singles WS3 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's singles WS8 semi-final 1 and 2.
• Saturday, September 7: men's singles MS4 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, men's singles MS8 gold medal match, men's singles MS9 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's singles WS4 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's singles WS6 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match, women's singles WS8 gold medal match, women's singles WS9 semi-final 1 and 2 and gold medal match.

Taekwondo

The ten para taekwondo events will be competed over the course of just three days. 

There are five men's and five women's events, over different weight categories. Each will go through all its rounds over one day, so here's that breakdown:

• Thursday, August 29: women's 47kg and 52kg, men's 58kg
• Friday, August 30: women's 57kg and 65kg, men's 63kg and 70kg
• Saturday, August 31: women's +65kg, men's 80kg and +80kg

Tennis

Wheelchair tennis puts six sets of medals up for grabs at the Paralympics: men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles, women's doubles, quads singles and quads doubles.

• Friday, August 30: men's singles first round, women's doubles first round, quad doubles quarter-finals.
• Saturday, August 31: women's singles first round, men's doubles first round, quad singles first round.
• Sunday, September 1: men's singles second round, men's doubles second round, women's doubles quarter-final, quad doubles semi-final.
• Monday, September 2: men's singles third round, women's singles second round, quad singles quarter-final.
• Tuesday, September 3: women's singles quarter-final, men's doubles quarter-finals, women's doubles quarter-finals, quad singles semi-final.
• Wednesday, September 4: men's singles quarter-final, women's singles semi-final, men's doubles semi-final, quad singles bronze medal match, quad doubles gold medal match.
• Thursday, September 5: men's singles semi-final, women's doubles bronze medal and gold medal match, quad singles gold medal match, quad doubles bronze medal match.
• Friday, September 6: women's singles bronze medal match and gold medal match, men's doubles bronze medal match and gold medal match.
• Saturday, September 7: men's singles bronze medal match and gold medal match.

Triathlon

There are 11 different events in the Paralympic triathlon competition, consisting of as many races. Six are men's events and five are women's, and here's what  take place on which days:

• Sunday, September 1: men's PTS2, PTS3, PTS4 and PTS5, women's PTS2, PTS4 and PTS5.
• Monday, September 2: men's PTWC and PTVI, women's PTWC and PTVI.

Shooting

The 13 different shooting para sport events will be contested over several days in the middle of the Paralympics. 

Events will be contested over the course of a single day each, and here's when each falls:

• Friday, August 30: women's 10m AR standing, men's 10m air pistol, mixed 10m AR standing.
• Saturday, August 31: women's 10m air pistol, men's 10m AR standing.
• Sunday, September 1: mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1, mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2
• Monday, September 2: mixed 25m pistol
• Tuesday, September 3: men's 50m rifle 3P, women's 50m rifle 3P
• Wednesday, September 4: mixed 50m pistol SH1, mixed 50m rifle prone SH2
• Thursday, September 5: mixed 50m rifle prone SH1

Volleyball

Two events make up the sitting volleyball competition at the Paralympics: a men's and a women's one, with eight teams in each.

Here's how the competition shakes out:

• Thursday, August 29: preliminary round matches
• Friday, August 30: preliminary round matches
• Saturday, August 31: preliminary round matches
• Sunday, September 1: preliminary round matches
• Monday, September 2: preliminary round matches
• Tuesday, September 3: preliminary round matches
• Wednesday, September 4: 5-6 and 7-8 classification
• Thursday, September 5: semi-finals
• Friday, September 6: men's bronze and gold medal match
• Saturday, September 7: women's bronze and gold medal match

All you need to know about the 2024 Paralympic Games

• Archery (9)
• Athletics (164)
• Badminton (16)
• Basketball (2)
• Boccia (11)
• Canoe (10)
• Cycling road (34)
• Cycling track (17)
• Equestrian (11)
• Football (1)
• Fencing (16)
• Goalball (2)
• Judo (16)
• Powerlifting (20)
• Rowing (5)
• Rugby (1)
• Swimming (141)
• Table tennis (31)
• Taekwondo (10)
• Tennis (6)
• Triathlon (11)
• Shooting (13)
• Volleyball (2)