Prague 2022: All you need to know about the European Championships

The Czech capital will host the biggest Para dance sport event of the year when the Prague 2022 European Championships take place from 28 to 30 October.

This is the first edition of the Europeans in four years and here below is all you need to know to get ready for the competition.

How many athletes and countries are involved?

72 athletes, including 53 wheelchair dancers from 15 nations are set to compete at Prague 2022. There will be 42 female and 30 male athletes in action. 

There will also be 40 team staff members on site totalling 112 participants from all delegations. 

Where is it taking place?

The European Championships will be held at the Clarion Congress Hall in the Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, some 6 km east from the famous Prague Old Town.

The venue is the same that hosted the first-ever World Para Dance Sport event in Czech Republic last year. The Prague 2021 Para Dance Sport International Competition saw 20 athletes from 10 countries on the dancefloor.

How many events are on the programme?

The day one programme includes the men’s single 1 and 2, women’s single freestyle 1 and 2, duo freestyle 1, and combi freestyle 1 and 2. 

Saturday (day two) has on schedule the women’s single women 1 and 2, combi standard 1 & 2 combined, and the duo standard 1 category.

The last day of competition on Sunday will see new European champions crowned in the men’s freestyle single 1 and 2, duo Latin 1 and 2, and combi Latin 1 and 2.

Who are the main stars?

Bonn 2019 world champions Ivan Sivak (men’s freestyle 2) and Olena Chynka (women’s freestyle 2) from Ukraine will lead the star-studded field in the three-day event.

Ukraine will also look up to Illona Slugovyna to repeat her world title winning show in women’s singles class 1 event, this time, while Slovakia will rest their hopes on star dancer Helena Kasicka in women’s freestyle 1 and combi latin 1 event.

Among other women dancers to watch out for next week will be Israel's Margalit Tomer, Ukraine’s Snizhana Kernychna, Italy's Laura del Sere, Austria's Sanja Vukasinovic and Sofie Cox from Belgium.

In men's event, Slovenia's Amir Alibabic, Turkey's Baris Bayraktar, Ukraine’s Vladimir Kernichny and Pawel Karpinski from Poland would be the other top names in the field.

When was the first edition of the Euros?

Tel Aviv, Israel hosted the first European Championships in 2009. Lomianki, Poland held the competition twice (2014 and 2018) while Kosice, Slovakia was the host city of the third Euros in 2016. Prague 2022 will mark the fifth edition.

You can find more information about this year’s Para Dance Sport European Championships here.