The countdown is on for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris!

Today marks one-year-to-go until the flame is lit at the heart of Paris in-between the iconic Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. The lighting of the flame will mark the start of the 17th Paralympic Games that will take place over the course of 12 days from 28 August to 8 September 2024.

In Paris, the sport will unfold in the historical gardens of the Palace of Versailles. The castle and its surroundings are the embodiment of beauty and grandeur and without a doubt, will set the scene for one of the most memorable equestrian venues of all time.

Which nations have qualified so far?
A total of 78 athlete and horse combinations from around the world are eligible to compete for 33 medals awarded across the Team, Individual and Freestyle Events.

A total of 15 slots are available for the Para Dressage Team competition in Paris, with each qualifying nation eligible to send up to four athletes, for a total of 60 athletes.

France, as the host country, directly qualified for first slot while seven countries – the Netherlands, Denmark, USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, and Italy – secured their ticket to the Paralympic Games through the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning (DEN).

The FEI Para Dressage European Championships, which will take place in Riesenbeck (GER) in September 2023, will provide another opportunity for the top ranked team from the competition (not otherwise qualified) to secure a place in Paris.

Four other team slots will be filled by the highest ranked teams from the region of Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania, while the two highest ranking teams on the overall FEI Paralympic Team Ranking List (published on 31 December 2023) will also qualify.

A further 15 individual athletes will also be eligible to compete, these will be the top three ranked athletes from the FEI Paralympic Individual Ranking List (published on 31 December 2023) for each of the following regions: Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Americas, Africa and in addition, three individual places will be allocated by the FEI and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Article courtesy of the FEI