From 6:30pm AEST, August 29

Michael Roeger’s story of redemption

The 34-year-old is competing in his fifth Paralympics, this time in the 1500m track (T46). It was a case of near-misses for Roeger, who has not had the best of luck at the Paralympics with injuries and illness. A gold medal would be one of the biggest stories of the Games if Roeger can pull it off, having won silver (2023) and bronze (2024) at the last World Championships. A potential 1500m final looms on Saturday at 6:58pm AEST.

6:00pm AEST, August 31

The second tallest man in the world

Iran’s Morteza Mehrzad is not a household name or face, but when he plays sitting volleyball in Paris, he is the first person everyone notices. At 246 centimetres, Mehrzad is the second tallest person in the world, but suffered from acromegaly at a young age – a condition that causes the body to produce too much growth hormone. It is a sight to see Mehrzad towering over his teammates and opponents, hitting balls over the net. Australia does not have a sitting volleyball team, but tune in at 10pm AEST on Friday to see Mehrzad in action.

30 August, 22:00 AEST

Blind football action

The most picturesque sports arena of the Olympic Games was probably the beach volleyball stadium under the Eiffel Tower. Out of the sand, in with blind football. The home fans will cheer for the French national team in front of an equally spectacular backdrop. It all starts on Sunday.

From 7:30pm AEST, September 1

Alexa Leary aims for gold

A horrific cycling accident during triathlon training changed Leary’s life forever. Her family said goodbye to her eight times in intensive care, but she survived, returned to the pool, won a world title and qualified for the Paralympics for the first time. She will compete in the 50m and 100m freestyle events from Thursday (AEST) and has enormous support in Australia.

From 5:30pm AEST, August 29

Hani Watson aims for fame in para-powerlifting

There are great medal opportunities in para-powerlifting, which is essentially a maximum number of repetitions on the bench press. Watson made a name for herself when she won a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She dedicated the victory to her father, a bodybuilder who died when she was 17. Watson was born with bilateral metaphyseal dysplasia, which caused her tibia and femur bones to become crooked.

8 September, 19:35 AEST

Survivor of a bear attack speaks out

Australia is packed with table tennis stars. This year’s 12-player Paralympic team is the largest since 1968. It includes reigning gold medalists Qian Yang and Lina Lei, as well as Olympian Melissa Tapper. One to keep an eye on is Ma Lin, simply because of his remarkable story. Ma lost his right arm when he was bitten by a bear at a zoo in China in the mid-1990s. The attack occurred as Ma tried to pet the bear through a gap in the fence. The action begins on Thursday.

From 6pm AEST, August 29

Girl power in the Australian wheelchair rugby team

Australia’s Steelers wheelchair rugby team is one of the sport’s biggest to watch and will be gunning for glory in Paris. Australia took silver in 2008 before winning back-to-back golds in 2012 and 2016. Led by Ryley Batt and Chris Bond, the team will be looking to improve on their fourth-place finish in Tokyo after winning the 2022 World Championships. The team also has three women – Shae Graham (second Paralympian) and Emile Miller and Ella Sabljak.

From 7:30pm AEST, August 29

“Scooter” competes against Kelly in the 150m individual medley

Australian swimmers Grant “Scooter” Patterson versus Ahmed Kelly. The two good friends have been through a lot in their illustrious careers. They may not be the fastest in the water, but they always have the biggest smiles at the poolside. Patterson, affectionately known as “Scooter” because of the bike he rides around on, won silver and bronze medals in Tokyo and would love to win gold in Paris, while Kelly is also hoping for his first Paralympic victory. Both have physical disabilities and will compete in the 150m individual medley on Sunday.

5:30pm AEST, September 1

Cyclist Alistair Donohoe races for gold

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You’d be hard-pressed to find a more motivated cyclist than Donohoe. In Tokyo, he finished second in the 400m individual pursuit, third in the road time trial and fifth in the road race. Donohoe will never forget his horror crash just before the finish line in 2016. He recently told the ABC: “Unfortunately, it’s kind of scary going into Paris. If I don’t win it, it’s going to hurt like hell. I just have to prepare myself for the fact that that could be the result.”

From 7:58pm AEST, August 31

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be broadcast live and free on Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now, and ad-free on Stan Sport.