PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS
![Two female swimmers with Italian caps smiling in a pool](/sites/default/files/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/GettyImages-1402518382.jpg?itok=-UgS67vF)
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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/1804881.jpg?itok=8Jvfrl4E)
Madeira 2022 marks Worlds debut of Tokyo 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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/Anastasia%20Pagonis%20Tokyo%202020%20swimming.jpg?itok=7heHqcPQ)
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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/52133190272_e897d8c4a5_c.jpg?h=fa0afe71&itok=mIsJdHTN)
Chateauroux 2022: China, Israel and Thailand earn 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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/52135126845_81f9faa1b3_c.jpg?itok=K8pZFJiK)
Team Portugal brings Madeira 2022 atmosphere to Funchal
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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/52129601900_151c1ec0dd_c.jpg?h=d0cbf804&itok=TcXQxV4F)
Chateauroux 2022: 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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/Image%20OK_0.jpg?itok=DTHhpjkX)
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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/GettyImages-1338202787.jpg?h=30a1da6f&itok=3lj1BVXy)
Paul Fitzgerald appointed 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/styles/image_crop_16_9_800_450/public/2022-06/Moran%20Samuel%20rowing%20tokyo%202020.jpg?h=1835bcdf&itok=5l7598gu)
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’