Photo: From L, Saysunee Jana and Athiwat Paengnuea are selected as Thai national flag bearers.
Saysunee Jana, a wheelchair fencer, and Athiwat Paengnuea, a wheelchair racer, will be the flag bearers for Thai athletes at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on August 28 (CET).
Seventy-nine athletes from Thailand will compete in these games, participating in 15 different sports from August 28th to September 8th. This is the 11th time Thailand has taken part in the Paralympic Games.
Saysunee, 50, known by her nickname “Waew”, was born in Chiang Mai and has earned the title of "World Fencing Queen" for her exceptional achievements. She has won one gold and one bronze at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens and a bronze at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. She has also won many other medals at a number of events.
Saysunee was recognised as the Outstanding Athlete with disability of 2008, by the Sport Writers Association of Thailand, and received the Female Outstanding Athlete with disability award on National Sports Day in 2010.
Meanwhile, Athiwat Paeng-nuea, 22, born in Sakhon Nakhon, has achievements in wheelchair racing. He won a silver medal in the T54 400 meters, which is an event for athletes who are completely functional from the waist up, and earned a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. He has also won medals at a number of other events.
For the opening ceremony, the parade will take place on the Champs-Elysées and end at Place de la Concorde. It will feature 184 delegations from around the world, with as many as 6,000 athletes and officials participating.
