The Paris 2024 Paralympics get underway from 28 August until 8 September. GETTY IMAGES

Belarusian athletes have arrived in Paris for the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, which begin on 28 August, as reported by Nikolai Shudeiko, Secretary General of the Belarusian Paralympic Committee, to BelTA.

The Belarusian team reached the French capital via Istanbul, Shudeiko stated. All eight athletes have obtained accreditation and will compete under a neutral status. According to Shudeiko, the Belarusian Paralympians are determined to deliver their best performances at the Games.

In Paris, the swimming competition will include 16-time Paralympic champion Ihar Boki, newcomer Yauheni Kavalionak, and swimmers Dzmitry Salei, Maksim Vashkevich, Yahor Shchalkanau, and Anastasiya Zudzilava. In the athletics events, Lizaveta Dabravolskaya will compete in the javelin throw, while Uladzislau Hryb will take part in the hammer throw.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics get underway from 28 August until 8 September. GETTY IMAGES
The Paris 2024 Paralympics get underway from 28 August until 8 September. GETTY IMAGES

Belarus first competed as an independent team at the Winter Paralympics in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, followed by their debut in summer sports at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics in the USA. The nation's best medal haul was at the 2004 Athens Summer Paralympics, where they won 29 medals (10 gold, 12 silver, and 7 bronze). At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, the Belarusian team earned seven medals (5 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze).

The Paris Paralympics will take place from 28 August to 8 September in the same venues that recently hosted the Olympic Games, with the first torch relay having already taken place. More than 4,000 athletes from 182 countries will compete in 549 events across 22 different sports.