Cairo 2025: Countdown begins to Africa’s first World Champs

The Cairo 2025 World Para Powerlifting Championships are just around the corner, with three weeks to go. The Rookie & Next Gen event will take place on 9 and 10 October, spanning two days for the first time ever.

The Elite Championships are scheduled from 11 to 18 October, with the final competition day reserved for team events. Cairo 2025 will be the 11th edition of the World Championships and the first to be held in Africa.

In total, 542 athletes from 71 National Paralympic Committees are set to take centre stage in Egypt at the Elite Championships, with the host nation leading the way with 34 athletes. Egypt is followed by Brazil (25), China (23) India (22), and Uzbekistan (22) in total entries.

Balanced field

With 20 bodyweight categories in the individual events, followed by three team events, athletes are almost evenly split by gender, with 314 men and 228 women competing in Cairo. 

Once again, Egypt leads the way with 19 male athletes, but Brazil occupies the first place in female participation with 16 athletes. Egypt (15) and Nigeria (13) follow in the women's pool, while India (13) and Iran (12) occupy second and third place among the men.

There are 25 Neutral Para Athletes (NPA) registered, comprising 13 men and 12 women.

Paris 2024 champions ready to shine

Most importantly, all Paris 2024 Paralympic Games gold medallists are confirmed for Cairo. The men’s categories remain unchanged, while the women’s competition has seen some movement. 

Clara Fuentes Monasterio of Venezuela has moved up from the women’s up to 50kg to the up to 55kg category, while Egypt’s Rehab Ahmed will compete in the up to 61kg category. 

¡Oro para Venezuela! 🇻🇪

Clara Sarahy Fuentes Monasterio breaks the Paralympic record and wins her country's first #ParaPowerlifting gold ever! 🥇

🥈 Jinping Xiao 🇨🇳
🥉 Olivia Broome 🇬🇧@Paralympics | @Paris2024 | @COPAVEN_OFICIAL | @ParalympicsAmPC pic.twitter.com/nBTTUI5zRQ

— Para Powerlifting (@Powerlifting) September 5, 2024

Onyinyechi Mark of Nigeria has stepped up to the up to 67kg class, while China’s Tan Yujiao will contest in the up to 73kg category, where she will face two-time Paralympic champion Mariana D’Andrea of Brazil.

The Rookie & Next Gen event, taking place during the first two days, will feature 124 athletes from 28 National Paralympic Committees. Of these, 88 are men and 36 are women, with Uzbekistan leading the entries. The Asian nation is sending 26 athletes, followed by the host country with 21.

The figures above remain subject to change, both in terms of athlete numbers and the number of NPCs.