Homepage

We use cookies to track and analyse visitors to our website

These cookies help make the website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation. They are necessary for our website to function and cannot be switched off.
These cookies gather information to understand how visitors interact with the website, such as how many people are using our website of which pages are popular to help us improve user experience. Switching off these cookies will mean that we cannot gather information to improve the user experience.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by a third party provider whose services we have added to our website. Switching off these cookies mean that areas of our website cannot work properly.

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient.

The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site.

For all other types of cookies we need your permission.

This site uses different types of cookies. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages.

You can at any time change or withdraw your consent from the Cookie Declaration on our website.

Learn more about who we are, how you can contact us and how we process personal data in our Privacy Policy.

Skip navigation
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
  • About us
    • Our Directors team
    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
    • Our funders
    • Who we work with
    • Tenders
    • Contact us
  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Bobsleigh
    • Boxing (Amateur)
    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
    • Goalball
    • Para-Archery
    • Para-Athletics
    • Para-Badminton
    • Para-Canoe
    • Para-Climbing
    • Para-Cycling
    • Para-Equestrian Dressage
    • View all
  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
    • Organisational Health
    • Para performance strategic framework
    • Board minutes
    • Complaints and whistleblowing
    • Eligibility
    • Fraud, corruption and bribery
    • Transparency and open data
    • HR policy templates
    • Pregnancy guidance
    • Reports and research
    • The Whyte Review
  • Jobs in sport
    • Working at UK Sport
    • Explore career pathways
    • Find jobs in sport
    • Advertise sport jobs
Popular content on our site
Prepare to “Find Your Greatness” as search for UK's future athletes gets underway The National Lottery operator Allwyn launches ChangeMakers fund for athletes as they make a difference back home Breadth of success targeted as British Olympic and Paralympic performance aspirations confirmed for Paris Investing in sport Strategic plan 2021-31
News

UK to host major new Paralympic event

Published 1 December 2004

British Paralympians will be among hundreds of athletes from more than 40 countries competing at the first Paralympic World Cup, which takes place in Manchester this summer.

The Paralympic World Cup will be the biggest annual multi-sport event for elite athletes with a disability. The event – supported by UK Sport’s World Class Events Programme – will be televised by the BBC and stars in action will include Britain's most successful Paralympian, Tanni Grey-Thompson, who won gold medals in the 100m and 400m at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. They took her personal tally to 16 medals, including 11 golds, from five Paralympic Games.

The inaugural World Cup takes place from 12th to 15th May, 2005 and will feature track and field athletics, basketball, track cycling and swimming. Similar events are set to follow in 2006 and 2007.

Tanni Grey-Thompson will be among 130 elite athletes from around the globe competing in the athletics programme at Manchester 2005. Speaking at the event’s launch, she said:

"The Paralympic World Cup is the perfect annual event for my sport. It will offer top-level competition on a regular basis and will expand awareness of elite disability sport."

Phil Lane, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association - which is one of the founding stakeholders in the Paralympic World Cup - said:

"This is a truly significant event for the Paralympic movement in the UK. We have always struggled to offer continuity to top-level competition for elite disabled athletes throughout the four-year cycle. Having a Paralympic World Cup every year changes all that."

Sue Campbell, Chair of UK Sport, added: "UK Sport is delighted to be supporting the 2005 Paralympic World Cup with National Lottery funds through our World Class Events Programme. We feel this is an important addition to the Paralympic calendar, not only by creating a new opportunity for the athletes to compete at the highest level, but also by promoting Paralympic sport to a wider audience," she added.

The athletics programme at the Manchester 2005 Paralympic World Cup will be held at the Manchester Regional Arena at Sportcity, with basketball at the Amaechi Centre, track cycling at the Manchester Velodrome and swimming at the Manchester Aquatic Centre.

The British men's basketball team, bronze medallists at Athens 2004, will have an opportunity to take-on Athens 2004 silver medallists Australia at the World Cup. Germany and the Netherlands will also compete in the men's tournament, with Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Sweden pencilled in to play in the women's competition. Basketball will take place on all four days of the inaugural World Cup.

Andy Blake, captain of the GB men's basketball team, said: "We were delighted to win a team bronze medal in Athens, but we always want to improve and see this competition as a great opportunity to continue our development. The Paralympic World Cup will be a wonderful opportunity for the British public to again see how talented and dedicated our elite disability sportspeople are," added the Buckinghamshire-based player. "It's a great showcase for our sport."

The Paralympic World Cup is being organised by Fast Track in association with the British Paralympic Association, host broadcaster BBC Television, funding partners UK Sport, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Share
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

News

Participants of the UK Sport Athlete To Coach programme taking part in a fireside conversation
UK Sport launches new programmes to support coaching across the high-performance community
21 May 2025
Headshot of Professor Nick Webborn CBE
Professor Nick Webborn CBE appointed new Chair of UK Sport
19 May 2025
Decoration image with the logos of UK Sport and Weirdo
Transforming fan experience: UK Sport introduces new engagement strategies for Olympic and Paralympic sports
15 May 2025
Looking to work in sport?
Find or advertise sports jobs in the UK
Search now
Our funders
  • Funded by UK Government
  • TNL partners
Who we work with
  • British Olympic Association
  • Paralympics GB
  • Logo of the UK Sports Institute
  • Sport England
  • Sport Northern Ireland
  • Sport Wales
  • Sport Scotland
  • Logo of the British Elite Athletes Association
  • Logo for UK Coaching
  • Logo of Sport Resolutions
Sitelogo
Sitemap
  • Homepage
  • About us
  • Our work
  • Events
  • News
  • Sports
  • Resources
  • Jobs in sport
  • Website terms and privacy policy
  • Editorial policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility
  • Freedom of Information
  • Welsh language scheme
  • FAQs
Contact
UK Sport
6th Floor
10 South Colonnade
London
E14 4PU
E: info@uksport.gov.uk
T: +44 (0) 20 7211 5100
Follow us
Twitter Youtube Instagram LinkedIn

© Copyright UK Sport 2025