Kohl’s journey to the Paralympics is both unique and inspiring. Initially, she was involved in wheelchair basketball and dance, only switching to athletics in 2017. The pandemic, which limited team sports, led her to focus on individual track training. This shift in focus paid off, earning her a spot at her first Paralympic Games. Her upcoming race highlights her adaptability and determination.

Habscheid, in contrast, is a Paralympic veteran, competing in his third Games. He already boasts two silver medals from World Championships and narrowly missed a podium finish in Tokyo 2020, coming in fourth. In Paris, Habscheid is determined to finally secure a Paralympic medal, with the shot-put event scheduled for 7 September.

“I’m really looking forward to Paris. The atmosphere during the Olympic Games in Paris was already great and I hope that the hosts will be as enthusiastic about the Paralympics. It was a rather short but very intensive preparation for me. I want to compete well and enjoy the Paralympic Games on site. I feel fit and am fully motivated!,” Habscheid declared.

The 17th Summer Paralympics, running from 28 August to 8 September, will see athletes compete in 549 medal events across 22 sports. This is the first time Paris is hosting the Paralympics, continuing the tradition started in Seoul in 1988, where both the Olympics and Paralympics are held in the same city. The number of medal events exceeds the number of sports due to classifications based on athletes’ physical abilities.

Despite the shared history, Marc Schreiner, President of the Luxembourg Paralympic Committee, believes there’s room for improvement in how the two Games are integrated. “With the exception of the facilities and the village, there are actually no real points of contact between the Olympics and the Paralympics. They run more or less side by side,” Schreiner said, advocating for stronger cooperation between the events.

Schreiner also voiced concerns about the overuse of the term “inclusion.” He stated, “I don’t like hearing the word inclusion because it is used for everything and nothing. It is thrown around again and again, and everyone claims to be doing inclusion here and there. But that is usually not true. If you look closely, it is not inclusion if I organise a sporting event and then add something for people with disabilities as a side event.” His remarks underline the need for genuine integration and inclusion in sports.