Geneva 2027 European Para Championships sport lineup (©EPC2027) – Tap to expand image
The program for the European Para Championships is set to grow for the Geneva 2027 edition, organizers announced this week, building on the success of the inaugural event held in Rotterdam in 2023.
A total of 12 sports will be staged in and around the Palexpo exhibition and congress center near the Geneva airport from August 2 to 15 next year, accelerating the momentum of the quadrennial multisport competition organized for elite European athletes with physical disabilities. As many as 2,000 athletes – up from 1,500 in Rotterdam – will compete at the highest level and in some cases open a qualification path for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
Remaining on the program for 2027 are boccia, goalball, para taekwondo, para archery, para badminton, wheelchair tennis and para judo. Wheelchair basketball will also return, but in the more compact 3×3 discipline.
New sports added include para table tennis, wheelchair rugby, para climbing and blind football. Sports from 2023 that have been dropped from the 2027 program are para cycling and shooting para sport.
All 12 sports on the program are also included at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games so all results will be consequential for the athletes’ progression.
More information, including details about ticket sales, will be announced at a later date.
Endorsed by the European Paralympic Committee, the European Para Championships is a private social enterprise and the largest multi-sport event in Europe for para athletes until at least 2035. The multi-sport aspect of the championship on a compact footprint gives athletes the opportunity to experience a Paralympic-like event – and perhaps their only opportunity to explore the team and social benefits that come with it.
Plans continue to solidify ahead of European Para Championships set for Geneva in 2027
The European Para Championships joins other continental para sports events such as the Parapan American Games, the Para Asiad and the African Para Games in raising the visibility of para sports across the region.
“These European Para Championships bring together different sports and federations at a single event,” Eric Kersten, CEO of the European Para Championships said.
“It makes it possible to showcase their full range of capabilities.
“In Geneva we are building further on that concept. More sports means more competition, more dynamism and a stronger platform for para sport in Europe.”
The European Para Championships is already looking to continue building the Championships beyond 2027 as the organization is now actively seeking municipalities interested in hosting in 2031.
Kersten said the Championships is a great option for cities the size of Geneva where the population of the city core is about 200,000 and the greater metropolitan area just over one million. The operational budget in Rotterdam was about 30 million euros (USD $35.1 million), an amount that is very “doable” for big cities and is affordable compared to recent European multi-sport events such as the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 that cost about 140 million euros (USD $164 million), he said.
List of included sports at Geneva 2027:
Boccia
Blind football
Goalball
Wheelchair rugby
Para taekwondo
Para archery
Para badminton
Para table tennis
Wheelchair basketball 3×3
Wheelchair tennis
Para judo
Para climbing