Here are three things to know about the 2024 Summer Paralympics. No. 1 the history the Paralympics take place around two weeks after the end of the Olympic Games, and since 1988 they have always been in the same city and use the same venues as the Olympic Games. The word para means alongside, since the intention is for the Paralympics to exist alongside the Olympic Games this year, that means the Paralympic opening ceremony will take place on August 28th in Paris. The first Paralympics were in 1960, but the idea originated a decade earlier when a British neurologist wanted to use sporting events to aid the recovery of his paraplegic patients, all of whom were World War Two veterans. Originally exclusively for wheelchair athletes, the games were expanded in 1976 to include athletes with other forms of disabilities, such as amputations or visual impairments. No. 2 the sports while some Olympic sports are not in the Paralympics, such as gymnastics or artistic swimming, the Paralympics include two sports not included in the Olympic Games. Those two are boccia, which is similar to bocce, and goalball, similar to handball, where athletes who are legally blind work to throw a ball equipped with bells into a net. Other sports are the same as in the Olympic Games. Some have modifications to the rules, such as wheelchair tennis, where two bounces of the ball are allowed before it must be returned, but many elements of the sports remain the same, such as in wheelchair basketball, where the basket Remains 10 feet high to ensure fair competition throughout the Paralympics. Athletes are classified in accordance with their impairment and compete in events alongside athletes who have similar disabilities. And if you notice a visually impaired athlete win an event using a guide, such as in track or cycling. As of 2012, that guide is also awarded a medal No.3. The athletes, more than 4,000 athletes will compete at the 2024 Paris Games in 549 medal events. Certain events like para athletics, which includes track and field events and wheelchair racing, para swimming and para table tennis are open to athletes with intellectual disabilities as well. While in track athletes can race using prosthetic limbs, in Paris swimming athletes cannot use prosthetics. And don’t be surprised if some Paralympic times are faster than Olympic times. For example, in 2016, the top four runners in the men’s 15 meter race finished with a faster time than the Olympic gold medal recipient that same year. For PBS News, I’m Tim Mcphillips.