Paris has already seen its fair share of sporting excellence this summer, and there’s even more to come as French capital gears up to host the 2024 Paralympics.

Team GB finished seventh in the medal table when the Olympics wrapped up a fortnight ago, but ParalympicsGB grabbed second spot behind China in Tokyo three years ago and could be set for similar success in the coming weeks with a range of strong medal hopefuls.

Ahead of the action kicking off this week, read on for i‘s guide to the Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony.

When is the Paralympics opening ceremony?

The 2024 Paris Paralympics opening ceremony will take place in the evening of Wednesday 28 August.

As with the Olympics, the opening ceremony will take place across iconic Parisian venues, rather than just in one stadium and will be broadcast from 7.30pm to 10.30pm, presented by Ade Adepitan, Clare Balding and Ellie Simmonds.

There will be no boat parade down the River Seine this time, but organisers are once again flouting tradition by staging the ceremony down the Champs-Élysées and at Place de la Concorde.

During it, wheelchair basketball player Terry Bywater and wheelchair tennis athlete Lucy Shuker will be Britain’s flagbearers, it was announced on Tuesday, as the pair prepare to represent GB at their seventh and fifth Paralympic Games respectively.

Throughout the Games, the first sporting events of which kick off this Thursday, coverage will then start from 8am with a breakfast show presented by Billy Monger and Vick Hope.

How can I watch the opening ceremony?

The entirety of the 2024 Paralympics, including the opening ceremony, will be aired for free by Channel 4.

That includes the TV channel, More 4, Channel 4 streaming and the channel’s sport YouTube, with more than 1,300 total hours of live sport to look forward to and up to 18 streams online at any one time – plus a highlights show – across the 12 days.

And if you’re looking to get in the mood before the action begins, Channel 4 is currently airing Paralympics documentaries on the athletes and their stories.

Who are ParalympicsGB’s biggest medal hopes?

As evidenced by a stellar performance at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, Britain has one of the leading global para-sport programmes and will be hoping to bring home a sizeable medal haul again.

i has walked through all the sports featured in the 2024 Paralympics line-up – including a day-by-day schedule highlighting some British athletes to look out for – which you can find here.

Among them are several cyclists, from eight-time Paralympic champion Jody Cudy to cross-sport superstar Kadeena Cox, plus golden couple (and new parents) Neil and Lora Fachie.

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Jaco van Gass and Fin Graham won gold and silver, while both breaking the world record, in Tokyo and will hope for more of the same on the fast Parisian track, before cyclist Dame Sarah Storey – Britain’s greatest Paralympian – breaks another record simply by competing at her ninth Games, beginning with the road time trial.

In the swimming pool, Tokyo silver medallist Tully Kearney is hoping to go one step further up the podium in the women’s S5 200m freestyle, with Maisie Summers-Newton seeking to defend her 200m individual medley title and twins Eliza and Scarlett Humphrey going to battle in the women’s S11 400m freestyle.

ParalympicsGB’s youngest competitor, Iona Winnifrith will also make her Games debut at La Défense Arena aged 13 as she goes in the women’s SM7 200m individual medley, and Ellie Challis is still only 20 but has a chance to win a second medal in the women’s S3 50m backstroke having won silver three years ago.

On the athletics track, Hannah Cockcroft will be looking to add to her seven gold medals and has the potential for an historic four-peat in the 100m which could see a British 1-2-3 alongside Kare Adenegan and Fabienne André, while blade runner Jonnie Peacock will be hellbent on regaining his 100m crown.

Thomas Young is going for back-to-back golds when he competes in the men’s T38 100m final, with fellow Olympic champion Sophie Hahn in the women’s event.

Elsewhere, ParalympicsGB world-leading rowing team are in pole position to protect their unbeaten record stretching back to London 2012 in the mixed coxed four event, while Lauren Rowles can also become the first woman to win three Para rowing golds as she goes in the mixed doubles sculls with new partner Gregg Stevenson.

Daniel Greaves will go for an unprecedented seventh medal in the men’s F64 discus throw, which will also feature former rugby player Harrison Walsh, while Daniel Pembroke aims to defend his F13 javelin gold and Jonathan Broom-Edwards looks to do the same with his high jump title from Tokyo.

GB’s wheelchair rugby – also known as “Murderball” – team are aiming to defend their own Olympic title, as Rachel Choong and Jack Shephard vying to top the podium in the SH6 mixed doubles badminton.

Phoebe Paterson Pine will be among the medal favourites in the compound archery at Les Invalides, while Matt Bush will have high hopes in taekwondo after narrowly missing out on Tokyo with a last-minute injury.

GB won their first wheelchair fencing gold medal in 32 years in Tokyo and there are more medal shots for Oliver Lam-Watson and Dimitri Coutya in the foil.

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Two-time bronze medallist powerlifter Zoe Newson should be in the women’s 45kg medal conversation again, and table tennis showman Will Bayley – who famously climbed on the table in celebrating gold at Rio 2016 – will aim for the top step in the singles final.

At Roland-Garros, current world No. 1 wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett has a shot to add a first gold medal to his 30 Grand Slam titles and three Paralympic silvers.

Boccia, similar to boules, is the only Paralympic sport without an Olympic equivalent – and GB have a great medal chance in the mixed event, which will feature “the Ronnie O’Sullivan of boccia”, David Smith.

Amidst a busy final weekend of the Games, Chris Skelley will then go for judo gold as Charlotte Henshaw and a whole host of medal chances paddle for glory in canoeing.