Mexico City 2017: 1 month to go

World Para Swimming and World Para Powerlifting Championships rescheduled following September earthquake 02 Nov 2017

two Para swimmers and Para powerlifters compete at their sport

Mexico City will host some of the best Para powerlifters and Para swimmers in the world

By IPC

In exactly one month’s time, some of the world’s best Para athletes will descend on Mexico City for the rescheduled World Para Swimming and World Para Powerlifting Championships. Here are the ten things you need to know ahead of the Para Sport Festival’s Opening Ceremony on 2 December.

1. It is the first time that Mexico City will stage a World Championships for either sport, with the swimming competition taking place 2-7 December and the powerlifting events being contested from 2-8 December.

2. The event was due to take place between 30 September and 6 October, but was postponed after a devastating earthquake hit Mexico City on 19 September.

3. It is the first time that two Para sport world championships are being held together.

4. Around 1,200 athletes, officials and staff from 89 countries plus the Independent Paralympic Athletes’ Team will compete across both sports

5. The Francisco Marquez Olympic Swimming Pool will stage the swimming competition, while the adjacent Juan de la Barrera Olympic Gymnasium will host the powerlifting events.

6. Both venues were built for the Mexico 1968 Olympic Games.

7. Following September’s earthquake, the IPC and Agitos Foundation launched a global fundraising campaign to support UNICEF’s humanitarian efforts in Mexico. Over USD 40,000 has been raised.

8. Jahuari the Jaguar is the official mascot of the Para Sport Festival. 'Huari' means 'heart' in Nahuatl (the language spoken by Aztecs). Jaguars are native to the Americas, one of the world’s most admired felines and an important part in Aztec and Mayan mythologies.

9. It will be the seventh edition of the World Para Powerlifting Championships and the first to be held in the Americas. At the same time, it will be the eighth edition of the World Para Swimming Championships and the third to be held in the Americas after Mar del Plata 2003 and Montreal 2013.

10. Mexico City is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and the second most populous city in the Americas behind Sao Paulo, Brazil, with around 9 million people living in the city.

More information is available on Mexico City 2017’s website.