PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS
![Brazil - wheelchair basketball - South American Championships](/sites/default/files/images/170502130327493_WB%2BBrazil.jpg)
Brazil win regional wheelchair basketball event
The Brazilian women’s team took the South American Championships title following a 67-40 victory over Argentina; hosts Peru claimed bronze.
![Jose de Jesus Castillo](/sites/default/files/images/170123183239161_castillo.jpg)
Jose Castillo prepares for World Cup, eyes Mexico 2017
Whilst he gets ready to compete at the World Cup in Eger, Hungary, the Mexican powerlifter shares his excitement about the Worlds on home soil.
Monthly preview: May 2017
The first major international rowing competition kicks off, among other events this month.
Liverpool to host 2018 BISFed Worlds
The competition will be held 9-19 August at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.
![Man in a canoe in action](/sites/default/files/images/160801154924489_Canoe%2Bbrazil.jpg)
Brazil dominate Canoe South American Championships
Brazilian canoers won five of the six Para canoe events contested in Paipa, Colombia.
![Marlou van Rhijn of Netherlands competes in the Women's 200m - T44 Fina](/sites/default/files/images/160916015102701_GettyImages-605933598.jpg)
London calling: Marlou van Rhijn
The Dutch three-time Paralympic gold medallist is looking to improve further under a new coach.
![Jamie Burdekin Performing](/sites/default/files/images/120118124045413_Jamie_Burdekin_Getty.jpg)
Burdekin, McCarroll and Phillipson retire from wheelchair tennis
Great Britain’s three Paralympic players announced their retirements from competitive sport.
Plat thinks long-term toward Tokyo 2020
The Netherlands’ dual-sport Paralympic champion started his season right with a triathlon win in Australia.
![Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France](/sites/default/files/images/161020083629101_GettyImages-507201558.jpg)
World Team Cup set to begin in Italy
France men’s wheelchair tennis team is favourite to defend last year’s title; the Netherlands and USA are hopeful of winning the women’s and quad’s events.
![Abdellatif-Baka](/sites/default/files/images/170428131828528_Abdellatif-Baka.jpg)
Holiday Hotspot with Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka
The 1,500m Paralympic champion made global headlines at Rio 2016 winning in a time faster than the Olympic gold medallist.
![Male swimmer celebrates on pool deck](/sites/default/files/images/170307170505465_Arnost%2BPetracek.jpg)
Petracek breaks nine-year-old backstroke world record
The S4 swimmer lowered the 50m backstroke time of Mexico’s Juan Reyes set at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
![Japan's Sho Watanabe crosses the line to take the 2017 Tokyo marathon ahead of Switzerland's Marcel Hug.](/sites/default/files/images/170227061045889_Watanabe%2BTokyo.jpeg)
Tokyo 2020 to partner with the Tokyo Marathon
The Organising Committee is aiming to learn from the iconic event’s experience.
![Cristian Valenzuela](/sites/default/files/images/140326102926318_151461011_0.jpg)
Valenzuela seeks to regain World title
Chile’s London 2012 athletics champion is hoping to successfully defend the Doha 2015 world title in the men’s 5,000m T11 at London 2017.
![Women in racing wheelchair](/sites/default/files/images/140820211412357_453829142_0.jpg)
BBC Radio’s Ed Harry explores rivalry in wheelchair racing
Following marathon wins in Boston and London, can Manuela Schär challenge Tatyana McFadden’s dominance in the T54 class?
![A swimmer smiles having won gold and set a new world record](/sites/default/files/images/150328101739870_MARK%2BPAIN%2BBETHANY%2BFIRTH%2B4.jpg)
World records for Tai, Firth at World Series
Uzbekistan’s Dmitriy Khorlin set a new Asian record in Sheffield, Great Britain, on Saturday (29 April).
![Ukraine's Vasyl Kovalchuk took gold ahead of Finnish world champion Minna Leinonen at a 2015 IPC Shooting World Cup.](/sites/default/files/images/150401182908450_Vasyl%2BKovalchuk.jpg)
Kovalchuk finds redemption at shooting Grand Prix
The two-time Paralympic champion closed the Grand Prix in Szczecin with R5 gold.
![Brazil and Argentina fought out a tough 0-0 draw in five-a-side football.](/sites/default/files/images/170202110436659_one-year-to-go-rio.jpg)
Dates for Football 5 Worlds change
The 2018 World Championships will take place in Madrid, Spain, from 5-18 June following a request from the Spanish Blind Sports Federation.
![Finland's Petri Posio and Erkki Miinala block the ball during their gold-medal match at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. After winning Paralympic gold, the Finnish squad will now host the 2014 World Championships.](/sites/default/files/images/130919140941426_151463100.jpg)
Pajulahti 2017 launches second video
The latest video of a series aiming to raise awareness of goalball ahead of this year’s Europeans has been launched.
![Brazilian Paralympic Centre](/sites/default/files/images/170127154844218_Brazilian%2BParalympic%2BCentre_0.jpg)
Sao Paulo set to receive over 1,000 Para athletes
The Brazilian Paralympic Training Centre will stage the Wheelchair Fencing Brazil Cup and an athletics and swimming regional event.
![Panama - New offices](/sites/default/files/images/170428084835386_Panama.jpeg)
NPC Panama inaugurates new offices
The new offices are located at the Irving Saladino Sports Complex in Panama City.