World Para Athletics GP 2021 calendar updated

Paris 2021 Grand Prix, initially scheduled to take place at the beginning of May, has been cancelled 13 Apr 2021

A blue athletics track with four hands side by side on the starting line

ⒸD-Echelard/Fédération Française Handisport

By World Para Athletics

World Para Athletics has updated the 2021 competition calendar, including the dates for the World Para Athletics Grand Prix and the European Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

French capital Paris was set to host the fourth edition of the Grand Prix from 5 to 7 May. The decision was announced on 12 April by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) due to the current restrictions in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Host city of the last World Championships, Dubai opened the Grand Prix season from 10-13 February at UAE’s Fazza International Athletics Championships.

Tunisian capital Tunis hosted the season's second GP from 18-20 March.

The series will now head to Europe with Jesolo, Italy staging the competition from 16-18 April followed by Nottwil, Switzerland, where the world’s fastest wheelchair racers will meet from 14-16 May.

Chinese capital Beijing was set to host the Grand Prix from 23-25 April but the event has been postponed to the middle of the year due to international travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates will be announced soon.

Sao Paulo, Brazil was also set to host one of the Grand Prix legs this year but the competition has been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Europeans and Junior Worlds

The Bydgoszcz 2021 European Championships will take place from 1-5 June. The competition was initially scheduled to 2-7 June last year but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak also caused the 2020 Grand Prix to be cancelled and forced the postponement of the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan from 2021 to 2022.

Due to the rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the World Championships, World Para Athletics confirmed that the Junior World Championships will not take place in 2021 but in 2022 instead.

The aim is to continue aligning the Junior Worlds in the same year as the World Championships. Dates and host city will be confirmed at a later date.

2021 Grand Prix Calendar (Competition/Dates)

Dubai 2021 GP - Fazza International Athletics Championships - 10-13 February

Tunis 2021 GP - 13th Tunis International Meeting - 18-20 March

Jesolo 2021 GP - Italian Open Championships - 16-18 April

Nottwil 2021 GP - ParAthletics - 14-16 May

Beijing 2021 GP - The 8th China Open Athletics Championships - Dates TBC

**Story initially published on 22 October, 2020. Last updated on 13 April, 2021.