Swansea to stage European Paralympic athletics event

Aled Sion Davies

Swansea is to host the 2014 International Paralympic Committee European Athletics Championships in August 2014.

It will be the first time the event has been staged anywhere in the UK.

The hope is the Championships will build on the impact of the 2012 Paralympic Games.

"[We believe] Wales and Swansea is the perfect stage to host international events," said Jon Morgan, executive director of Disability Sport Wales.

Around 600 athletes from 40 countries will compete in the event which will be staged at Swansea University.

The last European Championships were held in the summer of 2012 in Stadskanaal in the Netherlands.

They featured 520 athletes from 38 countries. In five days of competition, Russia topped the medals table and athletes broke 14 world records.

Jon Morgan believes hosting the event will further promote disability sport in Wales.

"[It] will build on the phenomenal achievements of Welsh athletes at London 2012, as well as driving forward our legacy agenda and national programmes that we have developed over the past 10 years," he said.

"We are committed to delivering an outstanding European Championships that the whole of Swansea and Wales can be proud of."