Abu Dhabi, Oct 21 (IANS) Dubai will be hosting the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships at the Dubai Club for the People of Determination Stadium from November 7-15. The Higher Organising Committee of the Championships recently held the official press conference to announce the details of the biggest version in the history of the championship.
More than 1,500 athletes from 123 countries will be participating in the tournament, making it the largest in terms of participation. In 2017, the eighth edition of the tournament in London saw participation from 1,300 athletes from 100 countries.
The tournament — which started in 1994 in Berlin and is held every two years — has become increasingly important as the current Dubai version represents the last qualifying station to the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, so that the participating athletes will present their strongest levels to win the championship and win the honor of qualifying for the Paralympics. As many as 1,100 athletes will qualify for Tokyo 2020 in Dubai.
Thani Juma, chairman of the organising committee said: “It will be the largest in the history of the Paralympic tournaments where many countries were keen to participate, and Dubai came to host this tournament at the request of the International Federation, because of Dubai’s reputation and strength and ability to organise major international events at the best international regulatory standards.”
It was also revealed that the United Nations will be the main sponsors for the Championships and its logo and name will appear in the shirts of the athletes.
While most of the top teams have announced their teams, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) team has included 18 players (9 male and 9 female) in their side.
Another highlight of the championships will be the Russian team who will participate in the tournament for the first time since its suspension in 2016.
Around 150 dope tests will be conducted to ensure that participants are free of banned substances. More than 800 volunteers will be part of the championships, while 14 hotels across the UAE capital will host delegates and training camps.
–IANS
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