Following the recent Olympics, Paris continues its summer of sports with the opening of the Paralympic Games on Wednesday, August 28.
Over the next 11 days, more than 4,000 athletes with physical and intellectual impairments will compete across 22 sports.
This year, Eritrea, Kiribati, and Kosovo will make their Paralympic debut in the French capital.
Among the 35 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) setting records for female participation are Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, and Nigeria.
Notably, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Rwanda are among 27 NPCs that have sent more female athletes than male athletes to these Games.
At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, African athletes won 63 medals, including 21 gold. This followed a total of 97 medals, with 36 gold, at Rio 2016