Manchester to Host Paralympians
The world's leading Paralympians will travel to Manchester next year for the Paralympic World Cup from 7-11 May. The event is one of the biggest multi-sport events for elite disabled athletes outside the Paralympics.
The competition, which is in its fourth year, will again feature four sports - athletics, swimming, cycling and wheelchair basketball.
Over 340 of the world's best Paralympic athletes from 47 countries competed for 143 medals in four sports this year.
There will be coverage of the competition on BBC2 on Sunday 11 May.
Athletics, swimming and track cycling will all have an extended programme while the GB men's and women's teams will both take part in the basketball events.
The women will take on Brazil, China and the Netherlands with the men facing Germany, Sweden and the USA, who are making their first Paralympic World Cup appearance.
Among those who are set to compete are British wheelchair racer David Weir, who will be chasing medals in China at the Beijing Paralympics in September.
"It is absolutely fantastic news that we will have the opportunity to compete in Manchester just a few months before the Paralympics," he said.
"This is a great opportunity to fine tune our preparations and will offer us a perfect challenge ahead of Beijing.
"It should provide all the GB athletes with the chance to test ourselves against the very best in the world - something that we will need to get used to if we want to win medals in future competitions."
International Paralympic Committee president Sir Philip Craven said that the event would again be an exciting spectacle.
"With the countdown to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games well underway, the competition promises again to be of high standard as well as a good test for all competitors," he said.
Source: BBC News
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