04 March 2009

Leading British Paralympic athlete David Weir is today one of the first athletes confirmed to compete at the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup.

Weir’s announcement comes as the tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup officially go on sale.

The London-born wheelchair racer will be competing in his fifth consecutive event, after a successful Paralympics in Beijing where he won four medals, including gold in the T54 800m and 1500m, silver in the 400m and bronze in the 5000m.

The 29-year-old said: “After the Beijing Paralympics, I’m really looking forward to getting back on the track and racing in front of a home crowd at the BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.”

The BT Paralympic World Cup is the first major multi-sport elite disability event to be staged since the Beijing Paralympic Games and major international stars and a strong British contingent are expected.

The competition will be staged in Manchester from 20-25 May, with over 400 competitors from over 31 countries scheduled to compete.

Athletes will compete in four sports at world class competition venues in Manchester: wheelchair basketball and athletics hosted at the Manchester Regional Arena, swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre and Track Cycling at the Manchester Velodrome.

Phil Lane, Chief Executive of ParalympicsGB said: “The BT Paralympic World Cup is a showpiece of some of the world’s best sporting talent and has become a major part of the disability sport calendar.

“After the huge success of the Beijing Paralympics, we are very excited to be back in Manchester with global stars as we start the countdown to the London 2012 Games.”

Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are now on sale and can be purchased via the event website: www.btparalympicworldcup.com or the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk or by calling 0844 8471622. Tickets cost £3 per session.

BT is the title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup; the sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup.

The official 2009 stakeholders of the BT Paralympic World Cup are the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWRDA), Manchester City Council and UK Sport.

The BBC, the official televised partner to the event, will broadcast live from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday 25 May 2009 on BBC Television.