The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced its official roster for the 2024 Paralympic Games on Monday. The roster includes 69 past, current and future athletes with ties to NCAA championship sports and emerging women’s sports.
The American collegiate sports system plays a major role in the U.S. team’s success on the Paralympic stage. A total of 116 athletes – more than 50% of the U.S. Paralympic competitors on the 2024 roster – competed at the collegiate level on their way to making the U.S. team. This includes club sports and non-NCAA championship sports, as well as athletes who competed at the junior college level and in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
In total, 90 schools will have one or more Paralympic athletes in Paris. Of the 90 schools, 69 are NCAA schools, covering 42 conferences and all three divisions. When considering all collegiate sports organizations, six U.S. teams have at least 50% collegiate participation on their U.S. Paralympics rosters: paratriathlon (58%), powerlifting (50%), rowing (100%), swimming (61%), track and field (71%) and wheelchair basketball (92%).
“We are proud to announce the Team USA athletes who will represent the United States at the Paralympic Games in Paris this summer,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the USOPC. “Their journey to the pinnacle of their careers is a testament to their unwavering dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence – qualities shared by our community of national governing bodies, coaches, families and USOPC staff who strive to help them achieve success. We have seen what Paris has to offer the world’s athletes when they compete and sports fans who celebrate the best in elite competition. Now we eagerly anticipate the extraordinary moments and awe-inspiring Paralympic competition that lies ahead, and we can’t wait to see Team USA show the world what it can do.”
Additionally, the USOPC and NCAA Office of Inclusion have launched a new Para-College Sports Center: paracollegesport.com. As an online resource to support collegiate sports for adaptive athletes, the one-stop shop serves as a central platform for expanding adaptive sports programs on college campuses across the country. Aimed at high school athletes and college administrators, the site aims to expand the presence and offerings of Paralympic sports in the United States. The initiative grew out of the USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project, launched in 2021, and offers a collection of resources, including information on how to start a new adaptive program on campus, where to find existing programs, and more.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin on Wednesday, August 28 and run through Sunday, September 8. During this time, the city of Paris will welcome more than 4,400 Paralympians from around the world competing in 22 different sports. In total, there will be 549 medal events, with the Paralympic competitions taking place in 17 different venues. Tune in to Peacock to watch the opening ceremony on August 28.
A list of collegiate-affiliated U.S. Paralympics athletes for 2024 can be found here. Similar to previous Games, the list does not include athletes currently registered as Paralympic alternates. Any delegation changes following the announcement of the 2024 U.S. Paralympics team will be reflected on teamusa.com and usopc.org.
