Mexico City 2015 to be shown live

“Mexico City 2015 will kick off a series of three regional Championships, as well as Toronto 2015, where fans will be treated to performances from some of the world’s strongest para-athletes."

IPC Powerlifting has announced that all four days of competition from the 2015 IPC Powerlifting Americas Open Championships in Mexico City will be streamed live at www.Mexico-City-2015.com from 26 April.

The coverage is part of a sport-wide aim to bring powerlifting to more people than ever before in 2015, in the year ahead of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Mexico City 2015 is a key qualification stop for August’s Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games in Canada and Rio 2016 and will feature around 120 athletes from 25 countries.

Craig Spence, IPC Director of Media and Communications, said: “Mexico City 2015 will kick off a series of three regional Championships, as well as Toronto 2015, where fans will be treated to performances from some of the world’s strongest para-athletes.

“These are incredible people who regularly push several times their own body weight, with some even lifting the equivalent of an average female polar bear in competition.

“Alongside the Asian and European Open Championships, we hope to be able to give our audiences the opportunity to follow their favourite lifters as they prepare for Rio 2016.”

The host team is expected to feature nearly 40 athletes including Paralympic champion Amalia Perez in the women’s up to 61kg. Despite recovering from a shoulder injury in 2014, Perez managed to seal gold at the IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai, UAE.

Two other Mexican podium-finishers from Dubai 2014 will also be in action, including bronze medallists Jose Castillo in the men’s up to 97kg and Laura Cerero in the women’s up to 45kg.

Amongst those heading to Mexico will be the Brazilian team that includes 2014 World Championships bronze medallist Cristina Menezes in the women’s up to 79kg.

Chilean Juan Carlos Garrido is also back in 2015, preparing for a repeat Parapans performance from the 2011 edition in Guadalajara, Mexico. Garrido originally retired in 2007 but came back in 2011 to win bronze.

Those coming from outside the Americas to compete for Open medals include Great Britain’s Ali Jawad, who makes up half of one of powerlifting’s most compelling rivalries.

Following a move up to the men’s up to 59kg for 2015 – the same class as Jawad - Egypt’s Sherif Othman recently smashed the Briton’s world record by 16kg to register a 210kg lift at the IPC Powerlifting World Cup in Dubai.

Whilst Othman will not be at Mexico City 2015, Jawad will begin his major international campaign keen to show that he is still the strongest in his category.

Mexico City 2015 runs from 26-29 April. Live results will be available at Mexico-City-2015.com and updates and news published at www.Facebook.com/IPCPowerlifting and www.Twitter.com/IPCPowerlifting.