PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS
![Two female swimmers with Italian caps smiling in a pool](/sites/default/files/2022-06/GettyImages-1402518382.jpg)
Madeira 2022: Italy and Great Britain dominate day one
First place at London 2019, Azzurri pick six gold medals on Sunday while British swimmers produce two world records in Portugal
![A male Para swimmer swimming backstroke in a pool](/sites/default/files/2022-06/1804881.jpg)
Madeira 2022 marks World Championships debut of Tokyo 2020 champions
Portugal's biggest-ever Para sport event kicks off on Sunday with 502 athletes from 59 countries competing from 12-18 June
![Anastasia Pagonis comes up for air mid-stroke during the women’s 200m Individual Medley SM13 final at Tokyo 2020.](/sites/default/files/2022-06/Anastasia%20Pagonis%20Tokyo%202020%20swimming.jpg)
Anastasia Pagonis: From 13-year-old club swimmer to world domination in four years
The 18-year-old Paralympic champion and world record breaker will look to collect more medals in her World Championships debut in Portugal this week
![A woman standing on a podium between two men in wheelchairs](/sites/default/files/2022-06/52133190272_e897d8c4a5_c.jpg)
Chateauroux 2022: China, Israel and Thailand also earn Paralympic Games quotas
Poland's Barbara Moskal takes gold in the VI-P - mixed 10m air rifle VI prone with a new world record in France
![A group of people wearing the uniform of the Portuguese Para swimming team posing for a picture in a hall](/sites/default/files/2022-06/52135126845_81f9faa1b3_c.jpg)
Team Portugal brings Madeira 2022 atmosphere to Funchal City Hall
World Championships to take place from 12 to 18 June will be the biggest Para sport competition ever hosted in the country
![A female shooter with a rifle in a shooting Para sport competition](/sites/default/files/2022-06/52129601900_151c1ec0dd_c.jpg)
Chateauroux 2022: Rising star Avani Lekhara leads India’s impressive start
Paralympic champion takes gold with a new world record in the R2 - women’s 10m air rifle standing SH2 at the World Cup in France
![Image of a male Para Athletics and his guide near to their time on the track](/sites/default/files/2022-06/Image%20OK_0.jpg)
Paris GP returns with stellar line-up
Home of next year’s World Championships, the Charlety Stadium welcomes athletes from 57 countries in the fourth edition of the event
![A blurred image of four women competing in an athletics track](/sites/default/files/2022-06/GettyImages-1338202787.jpg)
Paul Fitzgerald appointed as new Head of World Para Athletics
Fitzgerald to join the organisation from 15 June following four years at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
![Moran Samuel pumps her fist after winning a silver medal in the PR1 women's single sculls final.](/sites/default/files/2022-06/Moran%20Samuel%20rowing%20tokyo%202020.jpg)
Pride Month: Moran Samuel on putting LGBTQ+ on the agenda
Paralympic medallist and world champion in Para rowing Moran Samuel writes about her experience as an LGBTQ+ athlete
![Natalia Partyka for It Starts With Sport series](/sites/default/files/styles/video_crop_16_9/public/oembed_thumbnails/I50-ZIG-Q7irDW5nrCHPeD8PM0813SSMYkosZnoa42w.jpg?itok=CE_18TDM)
Six-time Paralympic champion Natalia Partyka on seizing opportunities
‘Even the most difficult dreams are within our reach. I did it, so you also can. It is worth trying’