Two Qatari athletes are set to compete in the summer Paralympics in Paris, kicking off today (Wednesday).

Sara Masud and Ali Arshad will represent Qatar at the Paralympics 2024, set to kick off later today (Wednesday) in Paris, and will bear the country’s flag at the opening ceremony.

Masud is set to compete in the women’s shot put event, whereas Arshad will be competing in Men’s 100-meter and Men’s 800-meter wheelchair racing.

Masud, 38, became Qatar’s first-ever female Paralympic medalist in Rio 2016, winning silver in the F33 shot put.

She was later named the Female Para Athlete of the Year by the Qatar Olympic Committee and won gold at the Asian Para Games held in Incheon, South Korea in 2014 as well as silver medals at the World Para Athletics Championship 2017 and Asian Para Games 2018.

Arshad, on the other hand, will be making his Olympic debut in Paris with a promising performance at the T34 events at the World Para Championships.

The 20-year-old won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in 2022 and had a silver and two bronzes to his name at the West Asian Para Games 2022 in Bahrain.

Both Arshad and Masud’s events will take place at the Stade de France in Paris, weeks after Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim won a bronze in the same venue at the Olympic games.

The 2024 Paralympics promises to be “one of the grandest in history”, its organisers have said, bringing together 4000 athletes from around the world to compete in 549 medal events.

The Paralympics Games Paris 2024 is set to be held from August 28 to September 8.