World Para Athletics kick off today in Japan

Tsitsi Ndabambi

2 years ago

World Para Athletics kick off today in Japan

The 11th edition of the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships is currently taking place in Kobe, Japan, starting today, May 21, and running through Saturday, May 25, at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium.

The Home of Sports channels on DStv will air these championships, which feature over 171 events. The COVID-19 pandemic caused them to be postponed twice, from their original 2021 date.

The World Championships are the biggest para sport competition globally, according to Paul Fitzgerald, Head of World Para Athletics. Every edition marks a fresh and significant advancement in the expansion and improvement of our sport.

“The brilliance of these athletes during the Tokyo Paralympic Games was not visible to Japanese fans of para athletics. We can now deliver a World Championship unlike any other since we have arrived at this point.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Among the top African athletes to watch are Moroccan Ayoub Sadni (who won the men’s 400m T47 at the 2020 Paralympic Games) and Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili (who won the women’s discus throw F41 at the 2020 Paralympic Games).

Other African defending champions at the World Para Athletics Championships include South Africa’s Mpumelelo Mhlongo (Men’s 100m T47), Rouay Jebabli (Tunisia, Men’s 400m T12), Walid Ktila (Tunisia, Men’s 800m T34), Fatima El Idrissi (Morocco, Women’s 1500m T13), Asmahane Boudjadar (Algeria, Women’s Shot Put F33), and Simone Kruger (South Africa, Women’s Discus Throw F38), amongst others.

Wheelchair racer Noemi Alphonse of Mauritius is another to watch. She made history as the first athlete from her country to win a medal at the World Championships when she placed second in the women’s 100-meter T54 event and then took home a bronze in the 400-meter event in Paris the following day in 2023.

She is scheduled to compete in three events this coming week: the 400-meter T54 on May 23; the 1500-meter T54 on Tuesday, May 21; and the 100-meter T54 on Wednesday, May 22.

“It’s wonderful to be here, my first time in Japan. Every incident has a backstory, and Kobe will make for an interesting tale when we get home. Alphonse expressed his hope that a lot of records will be made, saying, “The track looks fast.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The International Paralympic Committee created the Paralympic World Championships, which are the top paralympic competition in the world. From the fifth championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2011, to the first championships in Berlin, Germany, in 1994, they have taken place every two years.

World Para Athletics Championships, broadcast details

Tuesday 21 May