Road to Paris 2024: how qualification works in 22 Paralympic summer sports

With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games 500 days away, Para athletes from around the world are preparing to put on an exciting show in the French capital. 

Paris 2024, the first Paralympic Games to be held in the French capital, will feature as many as 4,400 Para athletes competing in 549 medal events across 22 sports. 

But while we can already feel the excitement building in France, there is an important requirement Para athletes need to meet in order to compete in Paris - they must qualify for the Games.

Do you know how athletes can qualify for the Games? Since the qualification process differs from sport to sport, we have put together a simple guide so you can follow along.

Para archery

A total of 78 qualification slots will be given out at the 2023 Para Archery World Championships in Pilsen, Czech Republic, in July. 

In addition, the highest ranked athletes in each individual medal event at each of the four Continental Qualification Tournaments, which will take place in 2023 and 2024, will earn one slot for their National Paralympic Committee (NPC). The last chance to qualify will be the World Qualification Tournament in late spring 2024 with six male and six female slots up for grabs.

Para athletics

The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, taking place between 8 to 17 July, are the biggest qualification event on the calendar across all Para sports. A total of up to 652 slots are set to be given out to NPCs at the World Championships in Paris. 

There are more qualification slots available the following year, at the 2024 World Championships in Kobe, Japan. Up to 326 slots could be given out at the event just three months prior to the Games in Paris.

Para badminton

Athletes will earn slots for their respective NPCs based on the Race to Paris Paralympic Ranking List that will be published on 2 April 2024. The highest ranked pairs in the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles rankings will earn qualification slots along with the best players from the singles ranking list.

Blind football

France qualifies directly for the eight-team tournament as the host country. The winners of the four Regional Qualification Tournaments in 2022 and 2023 will also each earn a ticket to the Paralympic Games. 

The top three teams at the 2023 IBSA Blind Football World Championships, to be held between 18 and 27 August, will book the other qualification slots. 

Boccia

Qualification events to look forward to in boccia include the 2023 World Boccia Regional Championships, where the highest ranked teams and pairs obtain slots for their NPC.

The BisFed Boccia Teams and Pairs World Ranking List and Individual Ranking List, closing on 31 December 2023, will be used to distribute 28 and 16 slots respectively. And then there will be a final qualification tournament in 2024 to award another 21 slots.

Para canoe

The ICF Paracanoe World Championships in 2023 and 2024 are the must-watch qualification events in the sport. The top six ranked athletes in each medal event will pick up a slot for their NPCs at this year’s World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, and four athletes from each medal event will claim berths at the 2024 Worlds in Szeged, Hungary. 

Para cycling 

Two ranking lists combining results from Road and Track competitions will be used to allocate Paralympic slots: 47 male and 28 female slots have already been awarded to NPCs based on the UCI Para-cycling Nations Ranking Lists, which closed on 31 December 2022. 

The 2024 UCI Paralympic Ranking, calculated after 30 June 2024, will be used to allocate a further 88 male and 47 female slots.

Para equestrian

The 2022 FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark, served as the largest qualification event. Most of the remaining qualification slots will be given out at the 2023 FEI European Championships and based on two ranking list – one for teams and one for individual riders – calculated after 31 December 2023.

Goalball

Sixteen teams (eight per gender) will earn slots based on the results of the 2022 IBSA Goalball World Championships and the IBSA Goalball Regional Championships, which take place in 2023 and 2024. 

The top men’s and women’s teams at the 2023 IBSA Paralympic Qualification Ranking Tournament will also qualify for the Paris Games.

Para judo

Qualification in Para judo is based on the IBSA Judo World Ranking List closing on 24 June 2024. Slots for 54 male athletes and 48 female athletes will be allocated based on the rankings list, while France will receive slots as the host country. 

Para powerlifting

The top eight athletes in each medal event on the World Para Powerlifting Paralympic Ranking List closing on 26 June 2024 will each obtain one qualification slot.

Para rowing

The 2023 World Rowing Championships in September serve as the largest qualification event. Qualification slots will also be allocated to NPCs through the results of Continental Qualification Regattas and the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta, scheduled to be held ahead of the Games in 2024. 

Shooting Para sport

The 2023 WSPS World Championships in Lima, Peru, will be among the largest qualification events in the sport. Thirty-three athletes will receive direct slots for their NPCs to the Paralympic Games. 

Athletes can also book tickets to the Games by competing in other events between June 2022 and summer 2024, including Word Cups and Regional Qualification Tournaments.

Para swimming

The 2023 World Para Swimming World Championships, to be held in Manchester from 31 July to 6 August, are a must-see qualification event where a total of 270 quota slots will be given out. 

A further 325 slots will then be distributed after 31 January 2024 based on the fastest times recorded by Para swimmers over the previous 16 months. 

Para table tennis

Fifty-six male athletes and 51 female athletes will book their tickets to the Paralympic Games through the 2023 ITTF PTT Regional Championships and the VIRTUS Global Games. 

An additional 71 male and 24 female athletes will earn qualification slots through the ITTF PTT Male Ranking Lists and Female Ranking Lists as of 1 April 2024. The Doubles Ranking Lists on the same date will also generate another 17 male and 19 female slots. And finally, there will be a Paralympic Qualification Tournament in May 2024.

Para taekwondo

Sixty qualification slots will be given out to NPCs based on the World Para Taekwondo Paralympic Ranking list from January 2024. The top six athletes in the K44 class in each weight category will earn slots for their NPCs. And then there will be five Continental Qualification Tournaments in 2024 where the winners in each medal event will obtain one slot each for a total of fifty tickets to the Paralympics.  

Para triathlon

Most of the 120 slots in Para triathlon will be allocated based on the 12-month World Triathlon Paralympic Qualification Rankings as of 1 July 2024.

Sitting volleyball

There are several tournaments between 2022 and 2024 that serve as Paralympic qualifiers. Two teams (one male, one female) booked slots through the 2022 World Championships. The other teams will qualify through the four zonal championships that will take place in 2023, plus a World Cup in November 2023 and a Final Qualification Tournament in 2024.

Wheelchair basketball

Paris 2024 will feature eight teams each in the men’s and women’s tournaments. Four teams from each gender will be decided based on the results of the zonal championships in 2023, and four more teams will be selected through the 2024 Men’s and Women’s Repechage Tournaments, set to take place before the Games.

Wheelchair fencing

Most of the qualification slots will be allocated based on the Individual Paralympic Ranking List closing on 31 May 2024 which covers results achieved over the previous 20 months.

The top-ranked male and female athletes from each region in each individual medal event will earn slots. Following that, the three highest-ranked athletes in each medal event will also earn qualification slots to the Paralympic Games.

Wheelchair rugby

Four of the eight teams that will compete in Paris will be selected through zonal championships taking place in 2023. In addition, the top three teams at the 2024 WWR Paralympic Qualification Tournament will claim slots for the Games. 

Hosts France get automatic qualification to the tournament and will aim to win their first medal in the sport.

Wheelchair tennis

Most of the qualification slots will be given out based on the Wheelchair Tennis Singles World Ranking List dated 15 July 2024 (subject to change). 

The winners of the men’s and women’s singles tournaments at each of the four Regional Games, including the 2023 Parapan American Games and the 2023 European Para Championships, will also book tickets to Paris.

For more information, check out the Paris 2024 qualification regulations.