Para Swimming
Para Swimming is one of the oldest sports in the Paralympic program, contested at every Summer Games since the inaugural Paralympics in 1960. This sport features swimmers racing head-to-head in a 50-meter pool using one of four strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle, or a combination in the individual medley. Individually and as teams, swimmers compete in distances ranging from 50m to 400m, depending on the athletes' classification, all with the primary objective of finishing the fastest. Para Swimming sees athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments compete without any mobility devices and those with different impairments may race against each other, with classification assigned based on a points scale of how an impairment impacts an athlete's ability to swim. Highly technical and competitive, Para Swimming athletes display exceptional body control and mental focus, making for captivating viewing at LA28.