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Paris Paralympics 2024

RNIB are proudly supporting the Visually Impaired (VI) athletes in Paris this summer for the Paralympics. We are highlighting the games and resources you can use to help support people with sight loss to get active.

VI sports and the Paralympics

At RNIB, we believe that every person with a Visual Impairment has the right to participate in sport and physical activity, which can be made accessible with simple adaptions. We know the positive impact sport can have on people’s lives and that people with sight loss are involved in all types of sport and physical activity, from grass roots and recreational to elite and paralympic level.

Real stories

From supporting our Visually Impaired (VI) athletes in Paris, we’d like to highlight the blind and partially sighted people who are not letting their sight loss stop them from getting active. From rediscovering a passion they thought lost, to trying an activity for the first time, each journey shows how even small steps can positively change lives.

Learn more on our Real stories
A woman running on a path in a park with headphones

A woman running on a path in a park with headphones.

Get involved

We'd love if it you can download and share our toolkit with your gym, club or activity provider to help guide on how to include people with a Visual Impairment in sport.

Our tool kit resource has been created in partnership with British Blind Sport offers practical advice and solutions for clubs and activity providers to ensure they are able to support and include people with sight loss.

Download our Toolkit supporting clubs to provide inclusive sport for people with sight loss

A woman holding a tennis racket on an indoor tennis court

A woman holding a tennis racket on an indoor tennis court

Channel 4’s Coverage of the Paralympic Games

Coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be shown on Channel 4 and is set to be the biggest yet. With over 1,300 hours of live sport airing for free across Channel 4, More4, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport’s YouTube you can stay up to date across all the action, medals and must-see moments from every Paralympic venue across Paris.

A full schedule of the Paralympic events can be found on the olympics website
Girl stopping ball going into goal in a sports centre

Girl playing goalball stops the ball going into the goal in a sports centre.

"We’re incredibly proud that these will be the most accessible Games yet and that we will make the sport available across even more platforms."

Alex Mahon, CEO at Channel 4

According to Channel 4’s press release, ‘all content will be broadcast with subtitles, live peak time sport on Channel 4 will have closed audio description while live sport on More4 and Channel 4 Streaming on weekday afternoons will include BSL live signing’.

Channel 4 have been working with RNIB to ensure their commentary is fully inclusive, to provide most accessible Paralympic Games broadcast ever.

More information on Channel 4's coverage

Our ongoing collaboration with the broadcast industry has led to a significant breakthrough in accessibility for blind and partially sighted viewers. The 2024 Paralympic Games broadcast is set to be the most accessible in UK history.

For the first time, Channel 4 will offer live audio description on sections of live sport, allowing blind and partially sighted viewers to experience the excitement in real-time.

Additionally, live highlights will now include live audio description during their first transmission, a notable improvement from previous games where audio description was only available on later repeats.

In the lead-up to the Games, Channel 4 will air a series of 12 athlete profiles throughout July and August. The programming includes two documentaries titled "Path to Paris," Dame Sarah Storey's introductions to fellow competitors, and a film called "Equal Play," where Hannah Cockroft explores the challenges disabled students face in accessing sports and physical education. All these programs will feature audio descriptions, enhancing their accessibility.

To support this initiative, a new state-of-the-art facility has been established in Cardiff to house Whisper, the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage. This will be the largest sports production ever hosted in Wales, and the fully accessible production hub is expected to benefit future broadcasts.

RNIB is also partnering with Channel 4 to provide training for presenters and pundits on inclusive commentary practices, focusing on making commentaries more descriptive for blind and partially sighted viewers. This comprehensive approach ensures that the 2024 Paralympic Games will be a groundbreaking event for accessibility, setting new standards for inclusive sports broadcasting.

Watch home grown Visually Impaired talent

You can enjoy watching 10 sports featuring Visually Impaired (VI) athletes at the Paralympics including Blind Football, Goalball, Para Athletics, Para Cycling, Para Equestrian, Para Judo, Para Rowing, Para Shooting, Para Swimming and Para Triathlon.

Watch home grown Visually Impaired (VI) talent from Paralympics GB and Paralympics Ireland in:

  • Para Athletics: Dan Pembroke (Javelin), Zak Skinner (Long Jump), Zac Shaw (Runner), Greta Streimikyte (Paralympics Ireland) and Orla Comerford (Paralympics Ireland).
  • Para Cycling: James Ball, Lizzi Jordan, Lora Fachie, Neil Fachie, Sophie Unwin and Steve Bate, Katie-George Dunlevy (Paralympics Ireland), Damien Vereker (Paralympics Ireland) and Martin Gordon (Paralympics Ireland).
  • Para Judo: Chris Skelly, Daniel Powell, and Evan Molloy.
  • Para Rowing: Sam Murray
  • Para Swimming: Eliza Humphrey, Scarlett Humphrey, Matthew Redfern, Rebecca Redfern, Stephen Clegg and Róisín Ní Ríain (Paralympics Ireland).
  • Para Triathlon: Alison Peasgood, Dave Ellis, Oscar Kelly, Chloe McCombe (Paralympics Ireland) and Judith McCombe (Paralympics Ireland).

Connect Radio - listen to the coverage direct from Paris