Grand Prix 2024: Magic to be made in Marrakech

The final stop en route to the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships is going to be enthralling as nations from across the world head to Marrakech.

Assessing the Field

It’s a packed field as 66 NPCs get set to send a combined 437 athletes* to the sun-soaked city.

Naturally it is the hosts with the largest contingent, with 43 Moroccan athletes going through their final preparations right this second. India are sending 19 athletes, with Czechia adding a further 17 in a group spread far and wide. 

There are plenty of A-listers making up those numbers as well! Mexico’s Jose Rodolfo Chessani has his eyes on Kobe and Paris this year, and the reigning 400m T38 Paralympic champion comes into this one looking for a final boost before the World Championships.

And some of the hosts’ very best are in contention here too. Abdeslam Hili, the 400m T12 Paralympic champion, F33 shot put champion Zakariae Derhem, 400m T47 star Ayoub Sadni and T12 marathon great El Amin Chentouf will all be taking to the tracks (and field) in search of home success. 

And for Youssra Karim, she will be aiming to get a taste of gold before hoping for more this summer. Karim has two World silver medals and one Paralympic medal of the same colour across the F41 discus. And having threatened to turn those golden, this could well be her year. 

There are Asian champions putting in the work here too! India’s Pranav Soorma is the F41 club throw Asian success story from last year in Hangzhou and is perhaps one to watch out for across the competition alongside a wealth of teammates. 

The final stop 

It’s only been three years since the best of the world has to offer took their talents to Japan, but we are heading back to the land for the World Championships in Kobe. 

For many of the field here, Marrakech is the final destination en route to the Championships and will act as the testing point for all the work they have undergone over the past few months and years. 

Away from the glare of the world, this is going to be an enthralling opportunity to set targets and test new training methods before it all comes together in Kobe in May. We can’t wait!

How can you follow?

We will be bringing you every step of the action as it happens with a live stream across our YouTube and website. Don’t miss a single second of the action!

Keep an eye on our social media channels to see the very best of the action from Marrakech as it happens as well!

What comes after Marrakech?

It’s World Championships time! We head to Kobe as the finest on the planet battle it out for glory in Japan, with the Worlds taking place from 17-25 May. 

The Grand Prix’s will resume with Nottwil on 6 June, with the final one of the season taking place 13-14 June in Paris. And let’s mark that one down as the calm before the storm, as Paris of course hosts the Paralympic Games this summer!

*The story was corrected to include the total number of athletes in the Grand Prix, 437 instead of the 298 originally published.