PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

A woman holds a ball above her head to simulate a classification

A total of 22 participants took part in three days of training in Nordic skiing, alpine skiing and snowboard.

A look inside a venue where table tennis will be contested. On the court are four tennis tables set up.

There will be eight competition tables, with 16 other tables for warm-ups, inside the Riocentro Pavillion 3 venue.

View on a stadium tribune

Straight from the mixed zone, here is what the athletes had to say at the IPC Athletics European Championships at the end of their event.

Man doing shot put

Great Britain and Russia continued their race to the top of the podium on the penultimate day of the IPC Athletics European Championships winning six gold medals each

These are the medals athletes will compete for at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The medals feature a tiny device which makes a noise when the medal is shaken, allowing visually impaired athletes to know if they are gold, silver or bronze.

Woman lands in the sand pit

A total of 25 gold medals will be decided on the fourth day (Tuesday 14 June) of competition at the IPC Athletics European Championships in Grosseto, Italy, with a number of thrilling head-to-heads to look forward to both on the track and in the field.

cross country skier and guide climb up a hill

Four World Cups will also take place between December 2016 and March 2017.

a female wearing a navy and blue shirt playing table tennis

Athletes are allocated 11 sport classes, and can compete either in a wheelchair or standing.

The Zimbabwean para LTA coxed four training in Gavirate, Italy.

In a country where the sport is not popular, Zimbabwe has put together a mixed coxed four team that will compete in Rio 2016.

Emma Wiggs of Great Britain

Six canoeists have been selected to compete in September’s Games, where the sport will make its Paralympic debut.