On August 28, the XVII Paralympic Summer Games 2024 will start. These Games will be the first time Paris will host the Paralympic Games and the second time France will host the Paralympic Games (the cities of Tignes and Albertville co-hosted the 1992 Winter Paralympic Games).
In total, 140 athletes from Ukraine will compete in 17 out of 22 sports, which is a record. Ukraine will be most represented in swimming (37 athletes) and athletics (28).
The Paralympics 2024 will be broadcast live on Suspilne.Sport. The opening ceremony will start at 20:30.
Later, live broadcasts of the competition will be available on the Suspilne.Sport website, as well as on Suspilne’s regional TV channels, which are available on cable operators’ networks, Megogo media service, Diia app and T2 digital broadcast. Also, the 2024 Paralympics will be shown on Pervyi TV channel.
As reported by OBOZ.UA, 143 athletes in 15 sports represented Ukraine at the last Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Most of our compatriots performed in swimming (40) and athletics (32). Our team finished in sixth place with 98 medals (24 gold, 47 silver and 27 bronze).
At the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Ukraine was in the top 3 in the medal standings, behind only China and Great Britain.
Ukrainian athletes at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo won five gold, four silver and three bronze medals on the fourth day of the competition, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine said on Facebook.
Thus, swimmers brought gold medals to the national team’s piggy bank, Yevhen Bohodaiko took first place in breaststroke swimming at a distance of 100 meters (class SB6), Maksym Kripak in a freestyle swim at 100 meters (class S10), Mykhailo Serbin at a distance of 100 meters at back (class S11), Denys Dubrov at a distance of 200 meters in complex (class SM8). The Ukrainian athlete Yelyzaveta Mereshko won the breaststroke swimming at a distance of 100 meters (class SB5).
At the end of the fourth day of the competition, Ukraine is in fifth place in the overall standings with 8 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze medals.
Ukrainian swimmer Yelyzaveta Mereshko won the gold medal in the 50 meter-freestyle at the Tokyo Paralympics.
“Yelyzaveta Mereshko, Ukraine, won gold in parasailing, women, 50 meter-freestyle, S6 at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo,” the press service of the organizing committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo said on Twitter.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena took part in the ceremony of sending off the national team for the XVI Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo (Japan), noting that now it will become a tradition, the press service of the head of state said.
“First of all, I think we need to apologize to you on behalf of our state, the institution of the President, for the fact that no President was personally present at sending off our Paralympians to both Summer and Winter Games in all these years. I think it’s a shame, but we’ll fix it. It is an honor for me and my wife to be here. You are the pride and glory of our sport, our country, our will and spirit. And each of you is an example of unbroken spirit and unlimited possibilities,” the press service quoted the President as saying.
Zelensky noted that the Ukrainian Paralympic team had won 374 medals at the Summer and Winter Games over the years, and expressed confidence that there would be more than 400 medals after the Paralympics in Tokyo.
The President also noted the symbolic date of the beginning of the XVI Summer Paralympic Games – August 24, the day of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
“Regardless of the result, I believe that all of you are already champions, already winners. And all these 30 years you have been one of those who nurtures our independence and inspires our country to never give up. So I am very grateful to you, just like every Ukrainian. And I believe that you will confirm this again in the next two weeks in Japan,” he said.
The President stressed that the Ukrainian authorities – the government, local authorities and relevant agencies – should resolve as soon as possible the issue of a professional summer base for Ukrainian Paralympians, which “should never have any problems with funding.”
“It is our duty to show respect for everything you do for our country. Once again, I sincerely wish you success in Tokyo! Inspire! Win! We will sincerely support you and we will wait for you!” added Zelensky.
NATIONAL TEAM, PARALYMPIC GAMES, PRESIDENT ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT
