8 September

Brazilian medal hopes will be in the spotlight on the first day of competition, with three-time Paralympic champion Terezinha Guilhermina (above) competing in the 100m T11 class, and swimmer Daniel Dias – the host nation’s most successful Paralympian with 15 medals (10 gold) – aiming to delight the home crowd in the 200m freestyle S5 race. 

• The first day of  athletics at the Olympic Stadium will include the final of the men's 5000m T11 race for the visually impaired. Guilhermina will run in the heats of the 100m T11 class. 10am
• Football 7-a-side, for players with cerebral palsy, kicks off with preliminary matches at Deodoro Stadium. 10am, 2pm, 7pm
• Powerlifting begins at Riocentro Pavilion 2 with the men’s 49kg division and women’s 41kg class. 1pm (men) and 4pm (women)
• The first swimming medals will be decided at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, with two Brazilian medal hopes: Daniel Dias in the men's 200m freestyle S5 race, and Talisson Glock in the men's 100m backstroke S6 event. 5.30pm

9 September 

The second full day of competition features the start of judo, as well as the fastest wheelchair athlete in the world, USA's Tatyana McFadden. 

The highlights:

• Athletics at the Olympic Stadium with intense competition expected in the women's long jump between London 2012 gold medallist Marie-Amélie Le Fur of France and the silver medallist, Great Britain’s Stefanie Reid. 10am - 1pm
• More nail-biting athletics in the afternoon with the reigning Paralympic champion, US superstar Tatyana McFadden, in the 100m T54. 5.30pm
• The second day of judo at Carioca Arena 3, in Barra Olympic Park, will have medal contests in the women’s lightweight (52-57kg) division, featuring Brazilian Lúcia Teixeira, one of the stars of the recent hidden-camera video that went viral. In the men’s half-middleweight (73-81kg) event, London 2012 champion Dmytro Solovey of Ukraine will be fighting for another gold. 10am & 3.30pm
• Brazil's André Brasil will be hoping to add to his collection of world records in swimming at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, in the men's 50m and 100m freestyle S10 events. 5.30pm

10 September

The first Saturday will see the debut of triathlon in the Paralympic Games, along with the chance to see some legends of Paralympic sport, probably making their farewells – four-time Paralympic judo champion Antônio Tenório, cyclist Sarah Storey (who has 11 gold medals, five in swimming, six as a cyclist) and He Junquan, a seven-time Paralympic champion in swimming.

The highlights:

• Brazil’s Tenório will be the home favourite in the 81-90kg class, while another four-time Paralympic champion, Spain’s Carmen Herrera Gomez should be in action in the women’s 63-70kg category in Carioca Arena 3. 10am
• Fort Copacabana will provide a fitting setting for the debut of triathlon in the Paralympic Games, with the men’s event first up. 10am
• Track cycling at the Rio Olympic Velodrome will feature Great Britain’s Storey trying to defend her Paralympic title in the C-5 class. 10am
• Brazil’s Daniel Dias and He Junquan will renew their rivalry in the men's 50m butterfly S5 race at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. 5.30pm

11 September

•  It’s the women’s turn to go in triathlon, competing over a 750m swim, a 20km cycle and a 5km race at Fort Copacabana. 10am
• USA's Jessica Long, double amputee swimming champion, will be hoping going for yet more gold at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in the 100m freestyle S8, aiming to match or better her five Olympic golds at London 2012. She was the youngest athlete in the US squad at Beijing 2004, aged 12. 5.30pm
• Athletics at the Olympic Stadium will feature Australian Angela Ballard, top of the current world rankings, going head to head in the 400m T53 race with Chinese Zhou Hongzhuan, who won gold in the category at London 2012. Team USA will be out in force, with Tatyana McFadden looking to defend her gold in the 400m T54 final, while David Brown, world record holder in the 100m and 200m in the T11 category (for visual impairments) will also be on the starting blocks. 5.30pm

12 September

Speed will be the order of the day on 12 September, both in the pool and on the track. Brazil’s 10-time Paralympic champion Daniel Dias will defend his 50m freestyle title, while Cuba’s Omara Durand – currently the fastest female para-athlete of all time – will go in the  T12 class 200m.

The highlights:

• Durand will be the main attraction in athletics at the Olympic Stadium, as she goes for gold in the T12 200m final. Meanwhile, Brazilian idol Terezinha Guilhermina, a three-time Paralympic champion, is set to contest the T11 class heats and semi-finals. 10am
• Sailing gets underway at the picture-postcard location of Guanabara Bay, with Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ Redeemer providing the backdrop. 1pm
• Swimming continues at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, where Dias is likely bring the house down if he defends his 50m freestyle title in the S5 class. 5.30pm

13 September

One of the stars of the London 2012 Games, David Weir – AKA the Weirwolf – will go for gold in the T54 wheelchair class 1500m, while medals will be at stake in fencing and shooting.

The highlights:

• China’s Zhan Cuiping (London 2012 gold medallist) and Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova (current world no.1)  should renew their rivalry at the Olympic Shooting Centre in the women’s 50m rifle three positions, while gold will also be dished out in the mixed 10m air rifle prone. 9.30am
• Weir, who won four golds in London, will be the main attraction in the evening athletics session at the Olympic Stadium, while Finland’s Toni Piispanen – a former karate and wheelchair rugby player – will seek to defend his T51 100m title in the morning. 10am & 5.30pm
• Gold medals will be up for grabs in the fencing competition at the Youth Arena in Deodoro, where the men’s and women’s individual epée titles will be decided. 2pm

14 September

Shows of strength are the order of the day, as the world’s strongest Paralympian Siamand Rahman (above) goes in search of a special record in powerlifting, while the big beasts of wheelchair rugby will roll into action.

The highlights:

• The battle for glory in wheelchair rugby will begin at Carioca Arena 1, with heavyweights Canada, the USA and Australia sure to be among the favourites. 10.30am
• Iran’s Siamand Rahman, the London 2012 gold medallist in the heaviest class (100kg+), has already broken the world record eight times. His current best is 295kg and in Rio he aims to break through the symbolic 300kg barrier in Riocentro Pavilion 2. 4pm
• Expect plenty of skill and tough tackling as football 7-a-side, contested by athletes with cerebral palsy, reaches the semi-final stage at Deodoro Stadium. 7pm

15 September    

The Paralympic Games debut of canoe sprint will be among the highlights on the eighth day of competition, as will the last-four clashes in wheelchair basketball.

The highlights:

• The iconic Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas will host the start of canoe sprint, with Brazil’s Fernando Fernandes, a former model, among the favourites in the KL1 class. 9am
• In wheelchair tennis, the women’s singles and men’s doubles titles will be decided at the Olympic Tennis Centre. 12.00-10.30pm
• The men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball semi-finals will contested along the day at Rio Olympic Arena in Barra Olympic Park. 9.30am-10.45pm

16 September

The final day of competition across three sports will provide plenty of drama as the last medals are contested in equestrian, boccia and wheelchair tennis.

The highlights:

• The final day of competition at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro Olympic Park will see medals dished out in the individual freestyle events. 9am
• A Brazilian hero, four-time Paralympic champion Dirceu Pinto, will be out to extend his 100 per cent record in boccia, which comes to an end at Carioca Arena 2. 3.30pm
• In wheelchair tennis, the men’s singles and women’s doubles titles will be decided before the curtain comes down on the sport at the Olympic Tennis Centre. 12.00-10.30pm

  17 September

The penultimate day of competition will see medals galore, with Jefinho (above) hoping to steer Brazil to a fourth consecutive Paralympic Games title.

The highlights:

• Football 5-a-side, which is contested by visually impaired players, will have its bronze and gold medal matches at the Olympic Tennis Centre. Brazil, who have won all three Paralympic Games tournaments contested so far, are likely to be in the final. 2pm
• The men’s wheelchair basketball tournament will reach its conclusion at Rio Olympic Arena. The last three finals have featured Canada and Australia, with the north Americans taking two golds. 3.15pm
• Gold, silver and bronze medals will be up for grabs as the women’s sitting volleyball tournament reaches its climax at Riocentro Pavilion 6. 4.30pm
• Spanish swimming legend Teresa Perales, who has won 22 Paralympic Games medals, will go for gold in the 100m freestyle S5 class on the final day of action at the Olympic Aquatics Centre. It would be her fifth, and probably last, Paralympic Games.  5.30pm

18 September

As the curtain comes down on the first Paralympic Games to be staged in South America, the hottest ticket in town will be for the closing ceremony, but there will still be plenty of sporting drama to enjoy before the big farewell.

• The last day will begin with a mouth-watering spectacle: athletes from different disability classes contesting the marathon against the backdrop of Rio’s glorious coastline, with the start and finish at Fort Copacabana. 9am
• Wheelchair rugby will reach its conclusion at Carioca Arena 1 in Barra Olympic Park, with heavyweights Canada, Australia and USA likely to be among the medals. 9am
• The men’s medals will be decided in sitting volleyball at Riocentro Pavilion 6, with every chance that defending champions Bosnia and Herzegovina will renew their rivalry with Iran – the two teams have met in the last four Paralympic Games finals, each winning twice. 9.30am
• The legendary Maracanã Stadium will host the party that brings the Games to an end, a closing ceremony that will combine a celebration of the Paralympic values with a distinctive Brazilian flavour. 6pm