Websites for Mexico City and Almaty 2015 launched

"Next year is a huge year for para-sport, with more world, regional and high-level competitions taking place than ever before."

IPC Powerlifting launched websites for its regional Championships in Mexico City and Almaty, Kazakhstan on Wednesday (10 December), which will act as qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The 2015 IPC Powerlifting Americas Open Championships will feature around 120 athletes from 20 countries and take place from 26-29 April, whilst the 2015 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships are expected to attract similar numbers of lifters and run from 26-30 July.

Both sites can be viewed at www.Mexico-City-2015.com and www.Almaty2015.com.

Craig Spence, IPC Director of Media and Communications, said: "Next year is a huge year for para-sport, with more world, regional and high-level competitions taking place than ever before.

"It is also exciting to be able to introduce the website for the very first regional Championships in the Americas.

"We are delighted to be able to offer these websites to fans and the media, as well as athletes and teams, to ensure that people can find out everything they need to know about Almaty and Mexico City 2015 as qualifiers for the 2016 Paralympic Games."

Both sites contain the preliminary competition schedules, an event guide, history sections and information for media wishing to cover the events.

There are also athlete biographies, videos and a media centre for all the latest news about IPC Powerlifting, athlete interviews and competition updates.

At the last Open Asian Open Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10 world records fell as athletes prepared for the 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai, UAE.

China's Yuijiao Tan broke the women's up to 67kg world record an incredible four times on her way to being crowned Asian champion with a 135.0kg fourth-round lift.

At just 16 years-of-age Iraqi Zahraa Al-Maliki set a new junior's and senior's world record of 71.0kg in the women's up to 50kg for gold.

Mexico City 2015 will make history by becoming the first ever IPC Powerlifting regional Championships to be held in the Americas region, before the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and in the year before Rio 2016.