A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Olympic fever continues.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Over the next week and a half, about 4,400 athletes will compete in nearly 200 events during the Paralympic Games that begin tonight in Paris.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Becky Sullivan will be following it all. Becky, the opening ceremony is tonight. What should we expect over the next couple of weeks?
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: You know, it will be so much more of what was fun a few weeks ago - just amazing athletic feats, more incredible Paris scenery. But this time, obviously, the thousands of athletes who are participating have all overcome some, you know, tremendous challenge in their life, whether it's amputation of their limbs or disease taking away their eyesight. And so in doing so, it'll be even more amazing to watch them compete.
There's 22 different sports in the Paralympics, most of which have an Olympic equivalent, so it should be familiar to watch for any first-time viewers. And a lot of the events like track and swimming races have a bunch of iterations. And so there'll be a 100-meter race for runners with one amputated leg, one for runners with two, others for runners with visual impairment, et cetera, so lots of events in total to watch.
MARTÍNEZ: Hey, Becky, it's all sports. It's more sports. I'm all in...
SULLIVAN: Yep.
MARTÍNEZ: ...No matter what.
SULLIVAN: I know.
MARTÍNEZ: So how much interest is there in the Paralympics this year?
SULLIVAN: You know, usually there is a bit less for the Paralympics than for the Olympic Games, but the goal is always to have them be the same, have them be as close as possible. So organizers in Paris report that about 2 million tickets have been sold so far, which is on track for the second-highest total ever. And then on TV, of course, NBC had massive viewership jump for the Olympics during the Summer Games, and so, obviously, they're hoping to see the same for the Paralympics. There will be less of it on TV, but still all of it will be streaming too.
MARTÍNEZ: The U.S. dominated at the Olympics. So how do you think Americans will do at the Paralympics?
SULLIVAN: You know, the Americans aren't quite the powerhouse at the Paralympics that they are at the Olympic Games, and they used to totally dominate but now haven't for quite some time. And so China is the dominant force when it comes to the Summer Paralympics. They regularly top the medal table. Events like wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby are where the U.S. has an edge. The U.S. is sending more than 200 athletes, so there are a lot of opportunities here, but I do think that aiming to beat China in the medal count is probably out of reach.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. And you're so right about the personal stories that we hear at the Paralympics. I mean, we hear that at the Olympics as well.
SULLIVAN: Yeah.
MARTÍNEZ: But this one has just an added layer. What are some of the things that you're going to be keeping your eye on?
SULLIVAN: You know, there are - like you say, I mean, there's just so many amazing stories here. Truly, I was trying to come up with - decide which one to talk about this morning. I can't name them all, but here, I'll just pick one. Her name is Ali Truwit. She's a 24-year-old swimmer from Connecticut. She had been a competitive swimmer all her life. She graduated last year from Yale. And then a few days after graduation, she went on a trip with some friends to the Caribbean Sea, and she was snorkeling when she was bitten by a shark and had to have her left leg amputated below the knee.
That was just over a year ago. This summer in Paris, she'll be competing in three different swimming events. And I think it's just amazing because it would be understandable, you know, to have been bitten by shark to be - you know, you might be scared to get back in the water, even when it's just a pool after something like that, but she went through therapy, was able to physically recover and get back up to competitive form. And now she's totally reclaimed that space for herself in the pool.
MARTÍNEZ: I was trying to do the physical rehabilitation math that you were describing there. That is amazing. That is...
SULLIVAN: It's incredible.
MARTÍNEZ: ...Absolutely amazing. Yeah. I can't wait to see that. NPR sports correspondent Becky Sullivan. Becky, thanks.
SULLIVAN: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF CORY WONG, METROPOLE ORKEST AND JULES BUCKLEY'S "STARSHIP SYNCOPATION") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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