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19/06/2015Updated on January, 19th, 2016, 18:47
Athletes and teams from 178 countries will be battling it out in 2015 and 2016 to ensure a place at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. With around 4,350 Paralympic slots available, the upcoming sporting calendar is bursting with qualifying events for the Games. Around the world, tournaments will take place in the 23 sports that will feature on the Paralympic programme. The clock is ticking and the deadline to qualify is August 2016, when the official list of participants for the 2016 Paralympic Games will be published and the door closes for the current crop of Paralympic hopefuls.
Curious to find out who is on their way to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games? Check out our article below, which will be regularly updated, to see the results of the qualifying events and find out who has booked their place. Just click on the sports you are interested in to see the information drop down.
Archery
AthleticsNo qualifications as yet. Most athletics slots are assigned to countries and not to specific athletes. Each country can have a maximum of 48 male qualification slots and 32 female qualification slots. In individual medal events, each country may enter up to three eligible athletes. The two top-placed athletes in each individual medal event at the 2015 Athletics World Championships win places for their countries at Rio 2016. The second opportunity to qualify is the 2016 Athletics Marathon World Cup. Other vacancies are filled according to the IPC Athletics’ Rio 2016 Qualification Ranking as of 1 April 2016, or via the AQS performance qualification system. A further 20 male athletes and 10 female athletes compete in the Games by invitation.
BocciaMixed:
Individual BC1 - Great-Britain, Thailand, Argentina
Individual BC2 - Great-Britain, Thailand, Argentina
Individual BC3 - Belgium, the Republic of Korea, Brazil
Individual BC4 - Slovakia, China, Canada
BC3 pairs - Belgium, the Republic of Korea, Brazil
BC4 pairs - Slovakia, China, Canada
BC1/BC2 team - Great-Britain, Thailand, Argentina
Boccia slots are allocated by country (where each country may be represented by one team or pair in each category), and by athlete (a maximum of three per country in each category). Both the individual and team events are mixed male and female, but of the 108 slots available for the whole competition, at least 28 must go to women. As the 2016 Olympic host country, Brazil has the right to three slots (one team and two pairs) as long as its teams are ranked on the respective world ranking lists by 30 April 2016.
Nine countries confirmed for boccia tournament at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
CanoeNo slots have been awarded so far. Places are allocated by country, where each may have one athlete per event per gender. At least three continents must be represented in each event at Rio 2016. The six top-ranked athletes per event per gender at the 2015 World Championships win slots for their countries at the Games, as well as the four best performers at the 2016 World Championships.
CyclingNo qualifications as yet. Some slots are allocated by country (where each country can be represented by up to 14 men and seven women), and by athlete, chosen by invitation. Each country can have up to three athletes in the individual events and one team. The highest ranked countries on the UCI Para-Cycling male and female Nations Ranking Lists on 31 December 2014 each obtain one qualification slot up to specified maximum regional quotas. Countries must also be represented at either the 2015 or 2016 Track Cycling World Championships, or at the 2015 or 2016 Road Cycling World Cup to qualify this way. Any remaining qualification slots are allocated to countries by way of a points system, calculated according the number and positions of athletes from each country on the Nations Ranking Lists, closing 27 March 2016.
EquestrianTeams: Great Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Brazil
There are 78 slots for men and women, who compete on an equal basis. Most slots are allocated by country (where each can have up to five individual representatives), and others by athlete, chosen by invitation. The team events feature a maximum of one team per country, with each team comprising three or four athletes who must also be participating in individual events. The top three ranked teams at the 2014 World Equestrian Games are each awarded four individual qualification slots for their country. Other Paralympic equestrian spots are allocated to the highest-ranked members on the world team and individual ranking lists, according to region, and a further three athletes compete by invitation. As host country, Brazil has four guaranteed places.
Learn more:
Nine nations win places at Rio 2016 via World Equestrian Games
Football 5-a-sideMen: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran, Morocco
Eight men’s teams will take part in the football 5-a-side tournament. Slots are awarded to the winners of the 2014 World Championships, the American and African qualifying tournaments, and to the two finalists from Asia and Europe. As host country, and having competed in the World Championships (in Japan, where it won for the fourth time), Brazil has its place guaranteed.
Learn more:
Morocco complete line-up for visually impaired football at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
China and Iran book places in Rio
Turkey and Russia qualify for Rio 2016
USA, Canada and Mexico win places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games via Parapan American Games
Argentina's football 5-a-side team books its place at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Football 7-a-sideMen: Brazil, Ukraine, Great Britain, Netherlands, Ireland, Russia, USA, Argentina
Eight men’s teams will participate in the Games. There will not be a women’s competition this time around. Places are awarded to the countries represented by the first-placed teams the 2014 European Championships, 2014 Asian Games and 2015 Parapan American Games, provided that the event has at least five countries participating. The second-placed teams from these tournaments will also qualify so long as the team is ranked in the top eight at the 2015 CPISRA World Championships, whose winner is also guaranteed a place at Rio 2016. As host country, Brazil automatically qualifies.
In the event that one of the three regional competitions has less than five participating teams (as was the case at the Pan Asian Games), the event is no longer considered qualificatory for the Paralympic Games. Instead, the slot will be awarded to the next highest ranked country (not otherwise qualified) at the 2015 CPISRA Football World Championships, regardless of region.
Learn more:
Football 7-a-side the first sport to complete qualification for Rio 2016 Games
Only one space left in Rio 2016’s Paralympic football 7-a-side competition
Ukraine wins football 7-a-side European title and qualifies for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Paralympic qualification system
GoalballWomen: Brazil, Russia, USA, Turkey, Israel, China, Ukraine
Men: Brazil, Finland, USA, Lithuania, China, Sweden, Turkey
Ten men’s and ten women’s teams will take part in the Rio 2016 goalball competition. For each gender, slots are awarded to the three best-placed teams in the 2014 World Championships, the male and female champions of each of the four continental tournaments (America, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Africa), plus the top two ranked teams at the 2015 Paralympic Qualification Ranking Tournament. As host country, Brazil has a guaranteed place in both the men’s and women’s events.
Learn more:
Turkey’s men and Ukraine’s women qualify for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games goalball competition
Five more teams qualify for goalball competition at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Five goalball teams book their places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
JudoWomen: China, Ukraine, Hungary, Brazil
Men: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Mexico, USA, Russia, Uzbekistan, Brazil
Most judo slots are assigned by country, but a small number are assigned to specific athletes by invitation. Each country can be represented by up to seven men and six women, with a maximum of one competitor from each country per gender per medal event. There are seven weight categories for men and six for women, and the winners of the 2014 World Championships in each category were awarded Paralympic places for their countries. Other slots are allocated by way of the male and female world ranking lists as of 31 December 2015: the nine top-ranked men and five top-ranked women in each category win a slot for their country. One man and one woman in each category will also compete in the Games by invitation, and as the host country, Brazil is entitled to one athlete per event per gender.
Learn more:
Nine countries win judo places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Judo World Championships offer 13 places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
PowerliftingPlaces are allocated by athlete and each country may have up to eight male and eight female representatives and only one athlete per weight category. The 80 men and 60 women with the best qualifier ratings in each weight category as of 29 February 2016, as well as 20 invited athletes of each gender, will be awarded places the Games.
RowingWomen's
AS single sculls: Israel, Great Britain, Norway, Brazil, Belarus, Italy, South Africa, USA
Men's
AS single sculls: Australia, Great Britain, Ukraine, Russia, USA, Netherlands, Brazil, Italy
Mixed
TA double sculls: Australia, Great Britain, France, Ukraine, Netherlands, Brazil, Poland, Israel
LTA coxed fours: Great Britain, USA, Canada, Italy, South Africa, Ukraine, Germany, France
A total of 48 male and 48 female slots are available. Most slots are assigned by country, with each nation eligible to enter a maximum one boat per event. Up to six male and six female slots may also be allocated to individual athletes by invitation. Places at the Games will be awarded to the eight top-performing countries in each class at the 2015 World Rowing Championships and the two best in each class at the 2016 Paralympic Qualification Regatta. As the host country, Brazil is automatically guaranteed a minimum of one boat. As the aim of the host country allocation for rowing is to ensure host country representation in both genders, additional Brazilian boats may be entered if Brazil does not meet this requirement by qualifying via other means.
Great Britain leads the way as rowing world championships start qualification for Rio 2016 Games
Sailing
2.4mR: Germany, Great Britain, France, Australia, USA, Norway, Canada, Finland, Brazil, Austria, Argentina, Czech Republic, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden and Spain
SKUD18: Australia, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, USA, Brazil, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore and Spain
Sonar: France, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Norway, Brazil, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and USA
Slots are allocated by country. A country can enter one boat in each of the three competition classes: single-person keelboat (2.4mR), two-person keelboat (SKUD18) and three-person keelboat (Sonar). Men and women compete together, but of the 69 total Paralympic sailing places at least 11 must go to women. The highest-ranked boats at the 2014 and 2015 Sailing World Championships win places for their countries at the Rio 2016 Games. As host country, Brazil has one guaranteed slot in each boat class.
Learn more:
Nations qualify for Rio 2016 at Para World Sailing Championships
Ten countries guarantee their places at the Rio 2016 Paralympic sailing competition
ShootingCheck here to see the list of all 144 qualification slots
Slots are awarded by country and each nation can be represented by up to 12 athletes, with a maximum of three in each event. Places at Rio 2016 are allocated based on the results of the 2014 World Championships and three World Cups taking place in 2015 and 2016. As the host country, Brazil is automatically assigned one female and two male places. A further three slots (one female and two male) will be allocated by invitation.
Learn more:
Shooting line-up for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games completed
Thailand and China top of the shots as another 27 places at Paralympic Games are won
Six more nations win shooting places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Shooters from 28 countries claim 63 spots at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Shooters target places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games as World Championships get underway
Sitting VolleyballWomen: Brazil, Iran, China, USA, Rwanda, Canada, Ukraine
Men: Brazil, Iran, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Egypt, USA, Germany
The 2016 sitting volleyball tournament features eight teams per gender, with 12 players per team. Slots are allocated by country and each country may enter one male and one female team only. Sitting volleyball places will be awarded to the countries represented by the two top-ranked teams in each of the men’s and women’s events at the 2014 World Championships, as well as the men’s and women’s winners of the 2014/2015 regional qualifying tournaments in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa, and the 2016 World ParaVolley Intercontinental tournament. As the host country, Brazil has two slots guaranteed, one in the men’s and one in the women’s competition.
Learn more:
Ukraine, Rwanda and Egypt earn slots on Rio 2016
Germany qualify for sitting volleyball tournament at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
USA, Canada and Mexico win places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games via Parapan American Games
Five more Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places confirmed as Asian Para Games nears end
Athletes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, China and USA are first to qualify for Rio 2016
Sitting volleyball players to become first athletes to qualify for Rio 2016 Games
SwimmingNo places awarded so far. Most slots are allocated by country, up to a maximum of 34 men and 28 women per country. Five male and five female slots are also assigned to specific athletes by invitation. To ensure that all the medal events on the Rio 2016 Paralympic swimming programme are viable, some slots may be reserved for the exclusive use of certain sport classes and especially for athletes with high support needs. Each country can have up to three athletes per individual event and one relay team, whose four athletes must also be competing in individual events. The two best-placed swimmers in each individual event at the 2015 World Championships will win a slot for their country at Rio 2016. Remaining qualification slots are allocated to countries according to the position of athletes on the Swimming World Ranking List as of 31 January 2016.
Table TennisMen:
TriathlonWomen: Brazil
Men: Brazil
Most slots are allocated by country and each country may be represented by up to two athletes in each of the six categories (three for each gender). Others are assigned by athlete, chosen by invitation. Slots are awarded to the countries represented by the top-ranked male and female athletes in each event that features on the Rio 2016 Paralympic programme at the 2015 Paratriathlon World Championships. The six top-ranked men and six top-ranked women (who have not already qualified) on the paralympic qualification lists, closing 30 June 2016, will also obtain slots for their countries in their respective events. As the host country, Brazil is guaranteed one women’s and one men’s slot at the Games.
Wheelchair BasketballWomen: Brazil
Men: Brazil
The Paralympic tournament will feature 12 men’s and 10 women’s teams. The seven best men’s teams and five best women’s teams at the World Championships in 2014 earned spots for their respective global regions (or “zones”) at the 2016 Paralympic Games. The individual team or teams allocated to represent each zone are then drawn from the highest-ranked teams at the 2015/16 Zonal Championships, who haven’t otherwise qualified.The first-placed teams in each zonal championship (America, Asia/Oceania, Europe and Africa), from both the men’s and women’s tournaments, qualify directly for the Games. The Rio 2016 host country, Brazil, automatically qualifies for one men’s and one women’s team spot.
Wheelchair FencingWomen: Brazil (athlete to be determined)
Men: Brazil (athlete to be determined)
Slots are allocated by athlete with a limit of 12 men and eight women per country. In individual event, each country can have up to two representatives, while in team events, countries can have up to three athletes who must also be competing in the individual tournament. The winners of the 2015 World Championships (in the men’s and women’s categories for each weapon) and of the three continental championships (Asia, America and Europe), as well as the four top athletes on each of the male and female world ranking lists as of May 2016, will qualify for the Games. For teams, only the top 10 men and eight women in the ranking are eligible. The top-ranked male and female athletes from the host country are also guaranteed places at the Games.
Wheelchair RugbyTeams: Brazil, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Japan
The wheelchair rugby tournament features eight mixed-gender teams made up of 12 players each. Slots are allocated by country, not by team or individual athlete. The countries represented by the winners of the 2014 World Championship, the 2015 Asia-Oceania Championship and the Toronto 2015 Parapan Games’ wheelchair rugby competition, plus the two best-placed teams at the 2015 European Division A Championship, qualify for Rio 2016. There are also slots reserved for the countries represented by the top two teams at the Paralympic Qualification Tournament, and one slot is available for the host country, provided that it features in the world rankings in May 2016.
Japan qualifies for wheelchair rugby at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Great Britain and Sweden qualify for wheelchair rugby at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
USA, Canada and Mexico win places at Rio 2016 Paralympic Games via Parapan American Games
Wheelchair TennisMen: Shingo Kunieda (Japan)
Women: Sakhorn Khanthasit (Thailand)
The 2016 Paralympic wheelchair tennis competition features a total of six medal events: separate male and female singles and doubles events, plus mixed-gender quad singles and doubles classes. (“Quad” refers to a class where competitors have impairment to both upper and lower limbs). Slots are allocated by athlete. In the men’s and women’s singles tournaments each country can enter up to four athletes of each gender, and in the doubles tournament, a country may enter a maximum of two teams per gender, made up of two athletes each. In the quad singles tournament, a country may enter up to three athletes of any gender, while the quad doubles tournament allows for just one two-player team per country. Paralympic slots are awarded to the winners of the men’s and women’s singles competitions at the 2014 Asian Para Games and 2015 Parapan American Games, as well as to the top-ranked players on the wheelchair tennis world ranking lists as of 23 May 2016. Further slots are awarded to eligible athletes by invitation.
Learn more:
Five more Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places confirmed as Asian Para Games nears end
