Just as for the opening ceremony of the Olympics on the River Seine in July, it took place away from the main stadium for the first time at a Paralympics.

A new generation of Paralympians will be joined by seasoned veterans competing in many of the same sensational venues in the centre of the French capital that hosted Olympic sports.

“So what if I’m a person with disabilities?” said Jhuma Akhter, with sparks of defiance and confidence in her eyes, to anyone who ever doubted her.

Jhuma beat Teresa Wallace of the USA 138-134 in the bronze-medal match on Wednesday but her qualification for the Paris Paralympic Games was confirmed on Thursday.

Jhuma Akter, a physically-challenged archer, is dreaming of qualifying for the Paris Paralympic Games as a four-member Bangladesh para-archery team is all set to take part in two international tournaments in Dubai from Feb 29 to March 7.