Portugal with a ‘short’ delegation but a record number of sports at the Paralympic Games

Portugal will represent itself at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with one of its smallest delegations ever, which will include two medalists from Tokyo 2020, but can boast of being represented in 10 sports, two of which will be making their debut.

With 94 medals won in 11 previous editions, Portugal will be represented in Paris by 27 athletes, the second smallest delegation ever, behind only Seoul 1988, when it had 13 athletes who won 14 medals.

With eight sports at Tokyo 2020, Portugal will reach a record 10 sports in France, debuting in triathlon and powerlifting, and repeating in athletics, badminton, bocce, canoeing, cycling, judo, swimming and shooting.

Three years ago, after the Games were postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Portugal had its fewest medals in Tokyo since 1972: two podium finishes, two bronzes and 23 diplomas.

Two Tokyo 2020 medalists, canoeist Norberto Mourão and shot putter Miguel Monteiro, are part of the Paris 2024 delegation, in which boccia’s Cristina Gonçalves, who will be competing in her fifth Games, is the only three-diamond Paralympic champion present.

Simone Fragoso achieves an unusual but not unprecedented feat by competing in the Paralympic Games for the fourth time, but this time in a different uniform.

After participating in swimming competitions in Beijing 2008, London 2021 and Rio 2016, the athlete will take part in the powerlifting tournament, in which Portugal will be represented for the first time, having received an invitation.

In a group of seven newcomers, comprising 17 male and 10 female athletes, Portugal’s average age is 31.3, with the youngest being boccia’s David Araujo, 17, and cyclist Luis Costa, who repeats his presence at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the oldest at 51.

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, whose programme includes 22 sports, the most represented sport is bocce with seven elements (in individual competitions of various categories and in BC1/BC2 teams), followed by athletics (six) and swimming (four).

Veteran and medalist Cristina Gonçalves leads the boccia team, joined by newcomers Ana Correia, José Gonçalves and David Araujo, and repeaters André Ramos, Carla Oliveira and Ana Sofia Costa.

In athletics, Mamudo Balde is the only newcomer to a team that includes Tokyo 2020 medalist Miguel Monteiro and Paralympic repeaters Carolina Duarte, Ana Filipe, Karina Paim and Sandro Baesa.

Miguel Monteiro, Carolina Duarte and Sandro Baesa arrived at the track and field competition fresh from the podium, having all won silver medals at the last World Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, in May.

Marco Meneses, Diogo Cancela – both with European and World medals – Daniel Videira and newcomer Thomas Cordeiro will represent Portugal in swimming in the team without women.

In canoeing, Portugal will be represented by Alex Santos and Norberto Mourão, who won bronze in Tokyo, while in cycling, Luis Costa will be present on the road and Telmo Pinao on the road and track.

Miguel Vieira, European and world champion in the 60 kg weight category, and Djibrilo Iafa will compete in judo in Paris; Beatriz Monteiro will once again represent Portugal in badminton, and Margarida Lapa will make her Paralympic debut in shooting.

As has been the case since the 1988 Games in Seoul, the Paralympic events will share facilities with the Olympic events and are expected to feature around 4,400 athletes in 559 events across 22 disciplines.

The total contract value for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games training program is 9.2 million euros, and the stipends paid to Paralympic athletes, as well as the prizes for winning medals, are the same as for Olympic athletes, with the gold medal being awarded as a prize of 50,000 euros, silver 30,000 and bronze 20,000.

In 12 appearances, 11 of which were consecutive, Portugal has won 94 medals at the Paralympic Games: 25 gold, 30 silver and 39 bronze.