The Games will include a record 235 medal events for women, eight more than at Tokyo 2020. Para badminton will benefit from this and will be given two additional events in Paris 2024. 

In addition to more medal events, there will be at least 1,859 slots for female athletes, 77 more than Tokyo 2020. 

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will feature a record number of medal events and athlete slots for women, as well as more competition opportunities for athletes with high support needs.

On 19 November, the announcement followed the IPC Governing Board’s approval of the final medal events programme and athlete quotas for the next Paralympic Games following a lengthy consultation exercise with international federations.

In total the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will feature a maximum of 4,400 Para athletes who will compete in 549 medal events across 22 Para sports. This record number is almost double the 990 women that took part at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. The overall number of participating females at Paris 2024 could increase further as there are 339 gender-free slots for the Games.

After a successful Paralympic debut this summer, Para badminton will have 16 medal events, two more than at Tokyo 2020. 

Rachel Choong was the first English player to win three gold medals at a single world championships. At Tokyo 2020, as her category (SS6) did not feature, Choong was in Tokyo as a Commentator, but this change means that in Paris she will be able to play.

-This is a great moment for Para badminton, but on a personal level it is very special. Competing in Para badminton since 2008, I have been hoping and waiting for the opportunity to become a Paralympian, and it is now finally a possibility, Choong expressed with joy.

-It was a fantastic experience being at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as a Para badminton Commentator earlier this year, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous of my friends who were there to chase their dreams of Paralympic glory. Hopefully in 2024, I will have the chance to join them, Choong added. 

All round this is fantastic and exciting news for the Para badminton players now on the road to Paris. 

Andrew Parsons, the IPC President, was delighting by this positive development. 

-For the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games we are increasing the number of competition opportunities for women and athletes with high support needs, fulfilling two ambitions of the Paralympic Movement.

-To almost double the number of women taking part in the Paralympic Games in less than 25 years is rapid progress but the fact we do not yet have gender parity underlines that there is still much work to do.

For more information about the record number of medal events, click here.