UC Riverside will host a French Paralympic team who will train at campus athletics facilities in advance of the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
UCR signed a letter of intent with the French Disabled Federation at a signing ceremony June 23, agreeing to provide the French delegation with training and housing in the summers of 2027 and 2028.
A contingent of about 30 coaches and athletes spent a week trying out campus facilities in mid to late June. The full delegation of athletes and coaches is expected to be about 150 to 200, said Sami El Gueddari, a manager with the French Paralympic program and a former competitive swimmer.
Los Angeles, which is hosting the Summer Olympic Games in July 2028, is also hosting the 2028 Paralympic Games from Aug. 15 to 27. The latter will include 560 medal events across 23 different sports in venues throughout the Los Angeles region.
At the signing ceremony, Chancellor S. Jack Hu said the campus is honored to be selected by the French team to prepare for the Paralympic games.
“Our work as a university is to open doors, transform lives, support achievements, and create an environment where people can thrive,” Hu said. “That is the spirit of the Olympics, that is the spirit of the Paralympics.”
El Gueddari said the team was impressed with the concentration and condition of facilities on campus such as the Student Recreation Center and the UCR Soccer Stadium.
“The first thing we loved when we arrived is the recreation center and all that infrastructure in the same place” he said. “You only need to walk 200 meters to be at the athletics center, to be at the football field, at the gym. You’ve got plenty of gymnasium space. It looks brand new.”
The athletes will be training in sports including track and field, blind soccer, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, Para table tennis, and Boccia ball. They will also train at Riverside City College’s swimming pool, which is Olympic regulation size.
The French team will stay at the Glen Mor campus apartments, which have the most accessible units, elevators, pathways, and other amenities among campus housing facilities. The delegation has also met with Dining Services for meal planning to meet their training and dietary needs.
“Every question we have, every need we have, UCR is there to welcome us, to help us to make our dream possible, and we are dreamers when we are in charge of performance,” El Gueddaro said.
Greg Paules, athletics director, said he was impressed with the French delegation’s attention to detail and praised different campus departments working together to meet their needs.
“They really vetted each and every space and it showed that it’s UC Riverside they’re interested in, not just one unit,” he said. “The fact is each of our divisions came together and really showcased everything we had to offer.”
During the summer, Housing Services leases its facilities for visitors including youth groups, academic programs, conferences, and sports and cheer camps but hosting a Paralympic training camp is a first for UCR, said Alex Meister, director of Hospitality Services.
Dave Stow, CEO Stow Sports Management, which helped bring the team to UCR, said the selection of UCR is an honor for the Inland Empire.
"UC Riverside offers everything the French Paralympic team needs for their final two weeks of preparation: world-class training facilities, quality accommodations, dining, and the support services elite athletes demand,” he said.
Header image: Thibault Daurat, a member of the French Paralympic team trains in his wheelchair at the UCR track on June 25, 2026. (UCR/Stan Lim)
