Tbilisi 2025 World Cup: Preview, stars and where to watch

The first World Para Powerlifting World Cup of the season is set to begin in Tbilisi, Georgia with several former champions including Paris 2024 Paralympic stars returning to a familiar venue over the next three days (10 -12 May).

There is excitement and thrill galore as a field of 134 athletes from 25 nations is keen to open the season on a strong note, building momentum toward the upcoming World Championships lined up in Cairo, Egypt this October.

The hosts 

Tbilisi first hosted a World Cup in 2021 and then progressed as one of the main hosts of major World Para Powerlifing events, including the World Championships in 2021 and the European Open Championships in 2022.

Over the years, the nation has made significant development in the sport and Akaki Jintcharadze’s first-ever Paralympic medal to the country at Paris 2024, has injected new motivation and hopes of more international stars emerging in near future.

The home expectations will be definitely on Jintcharadze, the biggest name in the 27-member team that will be aiming to make a mark in front of local fans.

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International stars

The international line-up includes some of the biggest names in the sport – Jordan’s double Paralympic champions Abdelkareem Khattab and Omar Qarada, who will compete in their first international event after their Paris 2024 heroics.

Both stars return to a venue that witnessed them emergeworld champions in 2021. In that context, the 33-year-old Khattab would be hoping for a deja vu – four years back he went to set a new world record en route to winning gold in the men’s up to 88kg category. 

He will be up in the men’s up to 97kg this time in Tbilisi – an event in which he holds the current world record at 270kg set at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Jordan will also have Jamil Elshebli, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medallist in the men’s over 107kg, who will be aiming for a good result in the start of the season and reaffirm his status.

Among other categories, France's Axel Bourloin will be a top contender in the men's up to 54kg. Tokyo 2020 silver medallist, he also holds a European from Tbilisi 2022.

El Salvador’s Tokyo 2020 medallist Herbert Aceituno will be one to watch in the men’s up to 59kg. A bronze medallist at the 2021 Worlds, Aceituno is eager to improve his medal colour upon his return to Georgia. 

Yurii Babinets of Ukraine will be in action in the men's up to 88kg, having secured a bronze medal in the event at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

In the women's events, France's five-time Paralympic medallist Souhad Ghazouani will be eyeing another gold medal in the up to 73kg category at the venue where she claimed the European title three years ago. Kazakhstan’s Raushan Koishibayeva, the Rio 2016 Paralympic silver medallist, is also among the top names in the event.

Jordan’s Asma Issa, an Asian Para Games medallist in the women's up to 79kg, is expected to be in the mix. Meanwhile, Chile's Marion Serrano – another Paris 2024 medallist competing in Tbilisi – will take part in the women's up to 88kg, the same category that gave her a bronze at last year's Paralympics.

TBILISI 2025 🔜

Let's kick off the World Cup season!

🦾139 athletes
🏋🏾‍♂️92 men
🏋🏾‍♀️47 women
🌍 25 NPCs
🗓️10-12 May

For entries and full schedule: https://t.co/HMhwbzZfAB #ParaPowerlifting pic.twitter.com/aOlBz0qA2Z

— Para Powerlifting (@Powerlifting) May 8, 2025

Where to watch?

Follow all the action from the Tbilisi 2025 WPPO World Cup live on Paralympics YouTube channel and World Para Powerlifting Facebook page.

Complete schedule and results are available here.

World Para Powerlifting 2025 World Cup calendar

Tbilisi World Cup (Tbilisi, Georgia): 10 -12 May

Beijing 2025 World Cup (Beijing, China): 22 - 25 June 

Santiago 2025 Parapan American World Cup (Santiago, Chile): 15 - 17 August    

2025 World Abilitysport Beach Games (Mersin, Turkey): 18-25 October