The 2024 World Para Athletics Championships are underway in Kobe, Japan, with the 11th edition of the event running until Saturday 25 May.
With Team Botswana also in attendance with Debswana sponsoring five athletes to participate in the hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Paralympics to be held later this year in Paris, France. The Para Athletics World Championships is the world's premier para athletics event, established by the International Paralympic Committee. The first Championships were held in Berlin, Germany in 1994, and since the fifth Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2011, it has been held every two years. The Kobe Championships was scheduled to be held in 2021, but was forced to be postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finally, in May 2024, it will be held in Kobe for the first time in East Asia. No less than 171 events will be held in the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, which will be based at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium. Paul Fitzgerald, Head of World Para Athletics, said: “The World Championships are the largest single Para sport event in the world. Each edition represents a new and important step in the growth and development of our sport. "Para athletics supporters in Japan were not able to experience, in person, the brilliance of these athletes during the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Now we are finally here and have the chance to deliver a World Championships like no other.”
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. Another to watch is Mauritius’ wheelchair racer Noemi Alphonse, who became first athlete from her nation to win a World Championships medal – a second place in the women’s 100m T54 followed by a bronze the next day in the 400m in 2023 in Paris. She will be on the track for the following three upcoming events: the 1500m T54 on Tuesday (21 May), the 100m T54 on Wednesday (22 May) and the 400m T54 the next day (23 May). “It is my first time in Japan, and it is great to be here. Each event has its own story, and Kobe will also be a great story for when we go home. The track looks fast, and I hope there will be a lot of records,” Alphonse said. DStv is your ultimate destination for Athletics fans. On the go, catch all the heart stopping action on DStv Stream. Get connected, stay connected and upgrade to DStv Premium to enjoy the fastest sport in the world.
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World Para Athletics Championships, broadcast details
Thursday 23 May 02:00: Morning Session – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2 10:00: Evening Session – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2
Friday 24 May 02:00: Morning Session – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2 10:00: Evening Session – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2
Saturday 25 May 02:00: Morning Session – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2 10:00: Evening Session – LIVE on SuperSport OTT2
