Two Paralympic sports don't feature in the Olympics and you've probably never heard of them
We were all introduced to plenty of unusual sports at the Olympics this summer, but we're about to be treated to two sports that are Paralympic exclusives.
The Paralympics has taken over Paris for the end of August and beginning of September, with the French capital city keeping its summer of sport going in to the early autumn.
With around 4,400 athletes descending on the city, it's another sporting spectacular entertaining millions around the world.
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For 2024, there are 549 events taking place across those 22 sports, with athletes taking part in specific classification events depending on their physical or mental ability.
Of the 22 sports, two of them might be brand new to you.
For one, they aren't in the Olympics. So if you tuned in earlier this summer, expect to find something new by turning on the TV for the Summer Paralympics.
How does goalball work?
The first of the two sports that exist in the Paralympics and not the Olympics is goalball.
It's a team sport that has been made specifically for athletes who are blind or visually impaired.
Invented in 1946 it has a rich history, having first being created for veterans of the Second World War who had lost their sight in the conflict.
Goalball debuted back in the 1976 Paralympics that took place in Toronto, with the women's goalball debuting in 1984 in the New York Games.
Alternating between attack and defense, the rules of goalball see players engage their whole body to block powerful attacks from their opponents.
There are two teams of three players on a court the same size as those used for volleyball.
The attacking team tries to score by rolling a ball containing internal bells at speed along the floor towards the opposite goal defended by their opponents. Tactile markings help players determine where they are.
The ball must bounce at least once in the thrower’s landing area for the shot to count. Players lie down in front of their own goal to block the ball.
The goal stretches across the whole width of the floor making it especially difficult to defend. Teams take turns attacking and defending.
How does boccia work?
The second sport is boccia, a sport played by athletes in wheelchairs who have any kind of severe impairment that affects motor function.
Boccia made its debut in the 1984 Paralympics. Named after the Italian word for 'ball', it was originally developed for people who lived with cerebral palsy.
Since then the game has grown to be played in 75 countries across the world by athletes who have other forms of locomotor dysfunction.
The court for boccia is 12.5 metres by six metres, with one, two, or three players on each team.
Each player starts each round with six balls. Their objective is to get them as close as possible to the opposition's white ball marker, called the jack. Players can roll or throw them.
Athletes are classified into one of four categories according to their disability. Those with the most severe impairments are eligible for assistance such as wheelchair stabilisation, a ramp to roll the ball, pointers, or a sport assistant.
Sport assistants keep their back to the court during the ends. They are present to carry out the players’ orders and are not allowed to advise them or even turn around to watch play.
Topics: Paralympics, Sport, World News
Tom Earnshaw