--- title: These Are the Most Exciting Paralympic Sports to Watch description: From "Murderball" to Boccia, here's your guide to the most unique sports as the Games kick off on Aug. 28 in France. canonical: https://time.com/7015419/paralympics-event-schedule/ author: Anna Gordon article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-28T13:22:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T18:12:56.744Z article:section: Sports og:title: These Are the Most Exciting Paralympic Sports to Watch og:description: From "Murderball" to Boccia, here's your guide to the most unique sports as the Games kick off on Aug. 28 in France. og:url: https://time.com/7015419/paralympics-event-schedule/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1ae4d1b7bf83f80/698a5a4e9d83e85c44b9a734/paris-paralympic-sports.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Previews - Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Are the Most Exciting Paralympic Sports to Watch twitter:description: From "Murderball" to Boccia, here's your guide to the most unique sports as the Games kick off on Aug. 28 in France. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1ae4d1b7bf83f80/698a5a4e9d83e85c44b9a734/paris-paralympic-sports.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These Are the Most Exciting Paralympics Events to Watch > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Anna Gordon](https://time.com/author/anna-gordon/) ## Anna Gordon Gordon was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Aug 28, 2024 1:22 PM UTC  The Team France blind football team trains ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Eiffel Tower Stadium on August 27, 2024 in Paris, France. The Team France blind football team trains ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Eiffel Tower Stadium on August 27, 2024 in Paris, France.Ezra Shaw–Getty Images by [Anna Gordon](https://time.com/author/anna-gordon/) ## Anna Gordon Gordon was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Aug 28, 2024 1:22 PM UTC The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games [kicks off tonight](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5725891/2024/08/28/paralympics-paris-2024-complete-guide-athletes/), with the opening ceremony beginning at 8 p.m. local time. The [Games](https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cm2nvjlejk7o) will feature 4,400 athletes representing 184 delegations who will compete in 22 different sports, including two—goalball and boccia—which are unique to the Paralympics and do not have an Olympic equivalent. Here are some of the most anticipated events at this year’s Games. A full schedule is available on [the Paralympics website](https://www.paralympic.org/en/paris-2024-paralympics/competition-schedule). **Read More:** [_The World War II Origins of the Paralympic Games_](https://time.com/4480655/paralympics-history/) ## **Wheelchair Rugby, a.k.a. “Murderball”** Wheelchair rugby, which combines elements of basketball, handball, and rugby, is one of the most high-impact sports in the Paralympics, with players frequently puncturing each others’ wheelchair tires and occasionally flipping each others’ wheelchairs over. The sport is often referred to as “[murderball](https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/paralympic-games/sports/wheelchair-rugby)” and athletes have some form of impairment in all four of their limbs. Viewers can tune in to watch the preliminary rounds throughout the day on Aug. 29, 30, and 31\. The official schedule for Wheelchair Rugby events are available on [the Paralympics website](https://www.paralympic.org/en/paris-2024-paralympics/schedule/wheelchair-rugby). ## **Blind Football** [Blind football](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c722xd743y7o) is a version of soccer that is adapted for athletes with visual impairments. The ball contains a bell inside, so athletes must use their hearing in order to figure out where the ball is and orient themselves. Each team has four outfielders and one goalkeeper. All outfielders must have a visual impairment in order to participate, while the goalkeeper usually has full vision. Brazil typically dominates in Blind football, winning every gold medal since the sport debuted at the Paralympics in 2004\. The first preliminary matches will take place throughout the day on Sep. 1\. More information about Blind Football events are on [the Paralympics website](https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/paralympic-games/schedule/blind-football?day=7-september). ## **Para Athletics** The men and women’s para athletics competitions, which consist of track and field competitions adapted for Paralympic athletes, include some of [the most famous athletes](https://www.paralympic.org/paris-2024/feature/paris-2024-ones-watch-para-athletics) at the Games. Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner, the five time reigning world champion of the women’s 400 meter T53 wheelchair race, is set to race at 6 p.m. local time on Sept. 5\. Another name to look out for is the Brazilian Petrucio Ferreira, who [broke the world record](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/443801-fastest-run-100-metres-t47-male#:~:text=The%20fastest%20100%20metres%20run,Brazil%2C%20on%2031%20March%202022.) for fastest 100 meter sprint for any para-athlete in March 2022, with a time of 10:29 seconds. He will compete in that race at the Paralympics on Friday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. local time. The first events begin on Aug. 30 and more information can be found [here](https://www.paralympic.org/en/paris-2024-paralympics/schedule/para-athletics). ## **Goalball** [Goalball](https://www.self.com/story/what-is-goalball-paralympics-2024) is a team sport unique to the paralympics, and is specifically designed for athletes with visual impairments. Athletes compete to score points by rolling the ball, which contains a bell inside, into their opponents’ net on the other side of the court. Players on the opposing team use both their hands and feet to block the ball from scoring. Goalball is played in complete silence. The men’s and women’s Goalball tournaments will begin on Aug. 29 and continue until Sept. 5\. For more details on which Goalball teams will be playing when, you can visit [the Paralympics website](https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/paralympic-games/schedule/goalball?day=5-september). ## **Boccia** Boccia is also unique to the Paralympics, and is the [fastest growing sport](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/28/sport/boccia-paralympics-2024-paris-explainer-spt-intl/index.html) within the Paralympic movement. It is played by athletes who compete in wheelchairs and have disabilities that impede their motor function, such as cerebral palsy. Athletes take turns rolling, throwing, or kicking small colored balls. Athletes aim to roll their balls as closely as possible to the white ball, referred to as “the jack.” The game is played with extreme precision, and calipers are used to measure the distance between balls and ensure fair play. Boccia games will take place between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5\. To find out more about Boccia events, you can visit the Paralympics website [here](https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/paralympic-games/schedule/boccia?day=1-september). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7015419/paralympics-event-schedule/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7015419/paralympics-event-schedule/"},"headline":"These Are the Most Exciting Paralympics Events to Watch","datePublished":"2024-08-28T13:22:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T18:12:56.744Z","description":"From \"Murderball\" to Boccia, here's your guide to the most unique sports as the Games kick off on Aug. 28 in France.","url":"https://time.com/7015419/paralympics-event-schedule/","keywords":["paralympics","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1ae4d1b7bf83f80/698a5a4e9d83e85c44b9a734/paris-paralympic-sports.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anna Gordon","jobTitle":"Gordon was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau.","url":"https://time.com/author/anna-gordon/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb1ae4d1b7bf83f80/698a5a4e9d83e85c44b9a734/paris-paralympic-sports.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Previews - Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games","caption":"Paris Paralympic Sports","creditText":"Ezra Shaw–Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/paralympics/","name":"paralympics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7015419/paralympics-event-schedule/","name":"These Are the Most Exciting Paralympics Events to Watch"}}]}] ```