Welcome to the Paralympics from WDSAUK!
Great Britain won 120 medals at the London 2012 Paralympics and aim to surpass that total despite UK Sport admitting it will be ‘incredibly challenging’
Bryan Lenon/Getty
The incredible Rio 2016 Olympics are in the books and now the waiting is almost over for the Paralympics .
Team GB enjoyed a memorable Games with 27 gold medals and 67 medals in total and the Paralympics team will be aiming for similar success.
Great Britain managed 34 gold medals at London 2012 with 120 medals in total and are aiming for a collection of 121 this summer.
UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl described the target as ‘incredibly challenging,’ while British Paralympic Games chief Tim Hollingsworth called it an ‘ambitious one’.
Hollingsworth added it would be the “most competitive team ever to the most competitive Paralympic Games ever.”
Here’s a breakdown of all the events and where Team GB are best placed to secure glory.
Archery
Dates: September 10 to 17
Paralympic fact: Paralympic archer Zahra Nemati was Iran’s flag bearer at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
British hopes: John Cavanagh won gold in 2004 in Athens and will be competing in his fifth Games.
Athletics
Dates: September 8 to 18
Paralympic fact: Wheelchair racers compete at speeds of more than 30 kilometres per hour and the top men can complete a marathon in under one hour 30 minutes.
British hopes: Wheelchair racer David Weir is a six-time Paralympic champion and the team talisman.
Boccia
Dates: September 10 to 16
Paralympic fact: Boccia, coming from the Latin for ball, is played in 50 countries worldwide.
British hopes: David Smith and Nigel Murray were part of the squad which won team gold in Beijing and bronze in London.
Reuters
Canoe Sprint
Dates: September 14 to 15
Paralympic fact: The flat water event is new for Rio.
British hopes: Captain Nick Beighton, who was injured serving in Afghanistan in 2009, was fourth in rowing at London 2012 before switching to canoeing.
Cycling
Dates: September 8 to 11 (track); September 14 to 17 (road)
Paralympic fact: Alex Zanardi, the former motor-racing driver, won London 2012 gold in hand-cycling and celebrated by lifting his bike above his head.
British hopes: Dame Sarah Storey has 11 Paralympic golds and needs one more to succeed wheelchair racer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson as Britain’s most successful female Paralympian.
Equestrian
Dates: September 11 to 16
Paralympic fact: Britain have never lost the team event, winning in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
British hopes: Sophie Christiansen won three gold medals at London 2012, while Lee Pearson is a 10-time Paralympic champion.
Getty
Football five-a-side
Dates: September 9 to 17
Paralympic fact: The crowd must be silent so the blind or partially-sighted players (all wearing blackout masks) can hear a noise-making device in the ball.
British hopes: Britain narrowly failed to qualify.
Football seven-a-side
Dates: September 8 to 16
Paralympic fact: There may have been no British team at the Olympics, but the Paralympic team comprises players from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
British hopes: Jack Rutter, the team captain, was on the verge of signing professional terms with Birmingham before suffering a head injury.
Goalball
Dates: September 8 to 16
Paralympic fact: The court markings are tactile, enabling the athletes to feel their way around.
British hopes: One of three sports where Britain is not represented in Rio.
Judo
Dates: September 8 to 10
Paralympic fact: In the only martial art on the Paralympic programme, the partially-sighted athletes are allowed to have contact with their opponent before each contest begins.
British hopes: Sam Ingram claimed bronze in Beijing and silver in London, where ParalympicsGB secured their best judo medal haul since 1996.
Powerlifting
Dates: September 8 to 14
Paralympic fact: Athletes with different disabilities compete for the same medals, with weight the only classifier.
British hopes: Micky Yule won Invictus Games gold and is European champion.
Rowing
Dates: September 9 to 11
Paralympic fact: Adaptive rowing made its Paralympic debut in the 2008 Games.
British hopes: Tom Aggar won in Beijing but was dejected after missing out on London, having dominated the sport in the intervening years.
Sailing
Dates: September 12 to 17
Paralympic fact: For greater stability, the yachts used in Paralympic sailing have keels.
British hopes: Helena Lucas was the first Briton selected for either the 2016 Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Shooting
Dates: September 8 to 14
Paralympic fact: Britain has won medals at every Games in which shooting has been included, since Toronto 1976.
British hopes: Matt Skelhon won gold in Beijing and will have his sights on the target once again.
Sitting volleyball
Dates: September 9 to 18
Paralympic fact: A part of the player’s body between their buttocks and shoulders must be in contact with the floor when they hit the ball.
British hopes: No British team after a loss of funding post-London 2012.
Swimming
Dates: September 8 to 17
Paralympic fact: Welsh swimmer David Roberts won 11 Paralympic titles in the pool.
British hopes: Ellie Simmonds and Ollie Hynd are established stars bidding to win more gold in Rio.
Table Tennis
Dates: September 8 to 17
Paralympic fact: Poland’s Natalia Partyka made her Paralympic debut in Sydney aged 11 and has competed in three Olympic Games (Beijing, London and Rio).
British hopes: Will Bayley claimed silver at London 2012 and will be looking to go one better in Rio.
Table Tennis
Dates: September 8 to 17
Paralympic fact: Poland’s Natalia Partyka made her Paralympic debut in Sydney aged 11 and has competed in three Olympic Games (Beijing, London and Rio).
British hopes: Will Bayley claimed silver at London 2012 and will be looking to go one better in Rio.
Triathlon
Dates: September 10 to 11
Paralympic fact: Rio will be the sport’s first Paralympics.
British hopes: World and European champion Lauren Steadman is competing in her third Paralympics, having made her debut as a swimmer in Beijing aged 15.
Wheelchair Basketball
Dates: September 8 to 17
Paralympic fact: There is a professional league in Spain where many of the top players ply their trade.
British hopes: The men took bronze in Athens and Beijing and were fourth in London.
Wheelchair Fencing
Dates: September 12 to 16
Paralympic fact: Athletes compete in wheelchairs fastened to the floor, with the length of the playing area determined by the athlete with the shorter arm reach.
British hopes: Just two, but Piers Gilliver and Dimitri Coutya both have World Championship medals.
Wheelchair Rugby
Dates: September 14 to 18
Paralympic fact: Commonly known as murderball due to its ferocity, wheelchair rugby is a game played by athletes with a disability affecting both their arms and legs.
British hopes: Britain must upset the established elite to get on the podium but they have some talented individuals.
Wheelchair Tennis
Dates: September 9 to 16
Paralympic fact: The ball is allowed to bounce twice.
British hopes: Jordanne Whiley and Gordon Reid are Wimbledon champions and will have high hopes for Rio.
Source: Mirror Online – mirror.co.uk.
(The Paralympics opening ceremony kicks off at 9.30pm U.K time. The games can be watched on Channel 4- the UK’s official Paralympic broadcaster, BBC Radio will also be covering the events). WDSAUK.