What to watch: June

Here’s a brief run-down of the top para-sport events around the world to keep your eyes on in June. 03 Jun 2013

The Czech Republic's Jiri Jezk won a gold and a silver at London 2012 and hopes to carry his success over to this summer's UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup.

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By IPC

The first two of three events in this year’s World Cup will bring athletes to Merano, Italy and Segovia, Spain.

Roland Garros (5-7 June)

The second wheelchair tennis Grand Slam of the year will be headlined by the world’s No. 1 singles players in Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands.

In the men's field, Stephane Houdet of France is the defending champion, while Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands, who won the title in 2011, is also a strong contender.

Van Koot won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and will be one of the favourites.

UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup (7-9 June, 14-16 June)

The first two of three events in this year’s World Cup will bring athletes to Merano, Italy and Segovia, Spain. They will feature several top Paralympians, including Italy’s Alex Zanardi, Czech Republic’s Jiri Jezek and Canada’s Robbi Weldon.

IBSA European Blind Football Championships (15-22 June)

The ninth edition of the European Championships for football 5-a-side will take place in Loano, Italy, drawing some of the continent’s best teams in the sport’s largest gathering since the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

IWBF Wheelchair Basketball European Championships (28 June-7 July)

The top 12 men’s and top eight women’s wheelchair basketball teams in Europe will compete in Frankfurt, Germany for a chance to qualify for next year’s World Championships. Great Britain’s men’s team and Germany’s women’s team are the continents defending champions.

IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final (29 June)

The final event of the inaugural IPC Athletics Grand Prix will draw some of the sport’s biggest names to Birmingham, Great Britain, including host nation stars Jonnie Peacock, David Weir, Hannah Cockroft and Richard Whitehead.