Ukraine breaks its Paralympic record with 140 athletes competing in 17 of 22 sports

Ukraine will have a record-breaking number of athletes competing at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris – a total of 140, which is 27 more than in the previous application.

The president of the National Paralympic Committee, Valery Sushkevych, announced this during a press conference before the start of the games, according to Suspilne Sport.

96 men and 44 women from Ukraine were part of the team. Specifically, out of 140 Paralympians:

• 101 athletes have injuries affecting the musculoskeletal system,
• 30 have visual impairments,
• nine have developmental disabilities.

More than 23% of the national team's members are debutants at the Paralympic Games. Athletes represent 20 regions of Ukraine and the city of Kyiv.

The Ukrainian team will compete in 17 out of 22 possible sports, a new record for the country's Paralympic history. Athletes will participate in athletics, powerlifting, judo, archery, table tennis, wheelchair fencing, shot put, swimming, academic rowing, cycling, goalball, canoeing, triathlon, badminton, taekwondo, bocce, and sitting volleyball.

For the first time in eight years, the Ukrainian sitting volleyball team, including two full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war veterans, is going to the Paralympics.

Also, for Ukrainian athletes, competing in sports such as boccia and handbike will be their debut.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport, akin to bowling and pétanque, that enables individuals with restricted mobility to participate. Sushkevych acknowledged that earning medals in this discipline will be challenging but emphasized its significance in showcasing the growth of Paralympic sports in Ukraine.

"Boccia is a sport in which we spent 16 years of development before the Paralympics. It is unlikely that we will achieve awards in this sport, but it demonstrates how far Paralympic sports have come. A practically motionless person can compete in boccia," the President of the National Paralympic Committee emphasized.

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The 2024 Paralympic Games will be held in the capital of France from August 28 to September 8.

On July 26, the opening ceremony of the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games was held in the capital of France, Paris, officially kicking off the biggest sports event in the world. This year, for the first time, the celebrations were held not at the stadium but on the water. The 2024 Olympic Games will be held from July 26 to August 11.

• On July 29, saber fencer Olha Kharlan brought Ukraine the first medal of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris—she won the "bronze" medal in the individual saber fencing tournament.
• On August 1, Serhii Kulish won silver in rifle shooting from three positions at 50 m, giving Ukraine its second award of the 2024 Games.
• On August 2, boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak succeeded by advancing to the semi-finals of the 2024 Olympics, which secured him a medal. He competed against Brazilian fighter Wanderley de Souza Pereira and ultimately won by a unanimous decision by the judges in favor of the Ukrainian.
• On August 3, in the finals of the 2024 Olympics, Ukraine won a gold medal in saber fencing in the women's team. For the first time, the Ukrainian national anthem was played during the winners' award ceremony at the 2024 Olympics.
• Ukrainian track and field star Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold in the high jump on August 4, earning the top spot in the final at the 2024 Olympic Games. Fellow Ukrainian jumper Iryna Gerashchenko also won bronze.
• On August 4, Ukrainian hammer thrower Mykhailo Kokhan became the bronze medalist of the 2024 Olympic Games. His best result is 79.39 m.
• On August 5, Ukrainian gymnast Illia Kovtun won a silver medal in the parallel bars competition at the 2024 Olympics.
• On August 7, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Khyzhniak claimed the title of Olympic boxing champion for Paris-2024. In the 80kg weight class, Khyzhniak triumphed over Kazakhstan's Nurbek Oralbay with a split decision, ultimately earning the coveted gold medal.
• On August 8, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler Parviz Nasibov won the silver medal in the 2024 Olympics.
• On August 8, Ukrainian wrestler Zhan Beleniuk competed in the Greco-Roman bronze medal match and won.
• On August 9, Ukrainian rowers Anastasiia Rybachok and Liudmyla Luzan won silver at the 2024 Olympics in rowing in a double canoe at a distance of 500 meters.
• On August 10, Ukrainian wrestler Iryna Koliadenko was defeated by Japanese athlete Sakura Motoki in the Olympic finals in freestyle wrestling. This brought Ukraine its fifth silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, which took place this year, the Ukrainian national team also showed promising results, winning 12 medals – three gold, five silver, and four bronze, which secured it 22nd place in the overall medal count.