Just over two weeks after Team Ireland’s record medal haul at the Paris Olympics, it is now the turn of the Paralympians to take centre stage in the French capital.
The flag bearers who have been given the honour of carrying the Irish flag around Paris are sprinter Orla Comerford and table tennis star Colin Judge.
There is plenty of northern representation including three swimmers Deaten Registe from Dungannon (pictured), Feeny’s Dearbhaile Brady and Newtownards man Barry McClements. Twin sisters from Claudy Judith and Chloe MacCombe will be competing in the triathlon with their guides Eimear Nicholls and Catherine Sands from Portstewart and Rostrevor respectively.
After tonight’s Opening Ceremony, action gets underway tomorrow morning with the first Irish athletes getting underway at 10:03am IST. That is the afore-mentioned Brady and Nicole Turner in the S6 50m Freestyle swimming while Roisin Ni Rian will take to the pool at 10:32am in the S13 100m Butterfly. If those three reach the finals, they will be at 18:17 and 19:10 respectively.
Also competing tomorrow is Richael Timothy in the Para-Cycling C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit and, if she qualifies for the final, she will go again at 15:29. At 12:00pm, Kerrie Leonard will be competing in the ranking competition in the W2 Individual Compound Open in the Para-Archery and there will be more action in the velodrome tomorrow afternoon with visually impaired cyclists Damien Vereker and Martin Gordon along with sighted partners Mitchell McLaughlin and Eoin Mullen competing in the B4 400m Individual pursuit at 12:58 with the final at 14:04.