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Athletics Programme unveiled

Forty-one different countries will be represented within the athletics programme at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester. EVENT WEBSITE

All the major Paralympic nations have been invited to compete - including Great Britain, China, USA, Australia, and South Africa .

The initial response to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA) endorsed event is that all nations invited will hope to send representatives.

The athletics programme will feature 130 elite athletes from across the globe.

Major stars such as Great Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson and Danny Crates, plus Oscar Pistorius of South Africa have already accepted invitations to compete.

The Paralympic World Cup athletics programme will take place at Manchester Regional Arena, Sportcity on Sunday 15th May and will feature a varied programme of elite level disability sport to highlight some of biggest stars and most competitive events.

As one of the founding stakeholders in the event, the British Paralympic Association is excited by the opportunities that the Paralympic World Cup will create for the sport:

BPA Chief Executive Phil Lane said:

"This is a truly significant event for the Paralympic movement in the UK. We have always struggled to offer continuity of top-level competition for elite disabled athlete throughout the four-year cycle. Having a Paralympic World Cup every year changes all that".

Events included in the Paralympic World Cup (as of 30/11/04):

Men: 100m T36 / T44 / T54
200m T36 / T44 / T54
800m T46
1500m T54
Pursuit T54
Club F32/51
Discus F44
Javelin F37
Triple Jump F12
High Jump F46

Women: 100m T36 / T53
200m T11 / T36 / T54
400m T53
1500m T54
Shot F38 / F40
Long Jump F44

Leading sports marketing, sponsorship and events company Fast Track are organising the event in association with the British Paralympic Association (BPA), host broadcaster BBC Television, funding partners UK Sport, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.



Source: British Paralympic Association. For more information click here:
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