Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final to follow Birmingham Diamond League meet

In total there will be 20 para-athletics events on a packed programme which is set to take place in front of a 13,000 capacity crowd and shown live on the BBC. 16 Jul 2014
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Great Britain's Hannah Cockroft on her way to a new 200m T34 world record in Nottwil, Switzerland in May 2014.

Great Britain's Hannah Cockroft on her way to a new 200m T34 world record in Nottwil, Switzerland in May 2014.

ⒸLuc Percival
By IPC

Fans will get to see the best athletes from around the world in Olympic and Paralympic sport.

To further raise the profile of para-athletics, IPC Athletics has announced that the Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final in Birmingham, Great Britain, will now take place one day earlier on Sunday 24 August and will follow the IAAF Diamond League meet to create a full festival of athletics at the Alexander Stadium.

A number of world and Paralympic champions are likely to line-up in Birmingham and many will be fresh from competing the IPC Athletics European Championships which take place at Swansea University, Great Britain, between 18-23 August.

Amongst the star-studded British athletes set to compete are 200m T42 world and Paralympic champion Richard Whitehead, Hannah Cockroft, the 100m and 200m T34 world and Paralympic champion, and the three-time world discus champion Dan Greaves.

Cockroft said: “I’m really excited to compete in front of another big home crowd at the Sainsbury’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final. Fans will get to see the best athletes from around the world in Olympic and Paralympic sport. It’s going to be a great occasion and I’m sure there will be some more records broken along the way.”

Dutch blade runner Marlou van Rhijn, the world’s fastest female leg amputee and 100m and 200m world champion, said: “I am really happy about it. It’s really cool. As the Grand Prix are evolving I think this is a good move to compete in front of a big crowd in a big stadium.”

Big name overseas athletes will include Switzerland’s Marcel Hug - a winner of five world titles last year and huge rival of Great Britain's David Weir - and Tunisia’s four-time world champion wheelchair racer Walid Ktila. Brazil will be represented by multi world and Paralympic champion sprinter Lucas Prado and Terezinha Guilhermina, the world record holder over 100m, 200m and 400m T11.

More star names from Great Britain and abroad are set to be announced in due course ahead of the 24 August event.

Tickets for the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix can be purchased by visiting the ticket website.

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