Celebrate Disability Pride Month with DSW Para Sport Festival
The Disability Sport Wales (DSW) Para Sport Festival is the perfect opportunity to celebrate Disability Pride Month, engaging with and watching some fantastic disability sport.
Outside of traditional mega-events, like the Paralympics, Deaflympics, Virtus Global Games and Special Olympic Games, this is the first event of its kind.
The Welsh Sports Association (WSA) member’s Para Sport Festival is headlined by 2024 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea which will bring the best paratriathletes in the world to the city, and alongside the Ironman 70.3 Swansea, makes up an action-packed festival of high quality insport and competitive para sport events across the city.
The Para Sport Festival comprises a mixture of Take Part events and Competitive events. Take Part events are open to participants of all skill levels and are designed to make inclusive and para sport accessible to anyone, while Competitive events are showcases of elite level para sport where you can cheer on some of the most talented para athletes from around the UK and abroad.
With July being Disability Pride Month, there’s no better time than to get stuck in or support some of the best para athletes across the country and beyond.
Take a look at the schedule:
insport Series: Swansea – Take Part Event
- Monday 8th July
- Swansea Bay Sports Park
More than 20 different sports—each brought by local insport Clubs and National Governing Bodies, and delivered under the guidance of qualified coaches—will be available for people of all ages and abilities to come and try for free at Swansea Bay Sports Park.
Boccia UK Teams and Pairs Championship – Competitive Event
- Wednesday 10th July – Thursday 11th July
- LC Swansea
The Boccia UK Team Championships takes centre stage when it returns for a second year. Taking place over two days (Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 July) the tournament will see a host of competitions including singles, pairs and teams.
Bringing together players from all over the UK for the Para Sport Festival Boccia teams and pairs tournament. The Tournament will consist of BC1 & BC2 teams, BC3 Pairs & BC4 Pairs.
Boccia is a Paralympic sport designed for athletes with high support needs and has no Olympic equivalent. It is a target sport played indoors with soft leather balls. It is a sport of intriguing tactics, incredible skill and nail-biting tension. Come and watch this unique sport and get immersed into the game play and the tension on court.
Welsh Shooting – British Open Para Sport Championships 2024 – Competitive Event
- Friday 12th July – Sunday 14th July
- Swansea Tennis Centre
Shooting has been a strong part of both the previous Para Sport Festivals, and the Welsh Shooting – British Open Championships return in 2024. With a huge number of competitors competing in a wide variety of different categories, the event will be held over three days (from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 July) at Swansea Tennis Centre. Background noise is mandatory, so other events will be taking place at the venue at the same time.
European Judo Union (EJU) Get Together Tournament 2024 – Competitive Event
- Saturday 13th July
- LC Swansea
The Para Sport Festival 2024 welcomes the European Judo Union’s Get Together Tour for the first time in Great Britain. This event is set to attract adaptive & visually-impaired judoka from all over the Europe in one of most exciting competitions of the year. From world-class athletes to young developing judoka this event has it all.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of history as we celebrate the diversity and excellence in judo.
British Para Table Tennis Swansea Open – Competitive Event
- Saturday 13th July – Sunday 14th July
- Swansea Tennis Centre
Table Tennis comes to the Para Sport Festival for the first time, with the BPTT Swansea Open taking place on Saturday 13 July. Delivered by British Para Table Tennis, the tournament will include Class Singles, Class Mixed Doubles and Junior Mixed Singles and will be held at the Swansea Tennis Centre.
Wheelchair Rugby Welsh Open – Competitive Event
- Saturday 13th July
- Swansea Bay Sports Park
The Welsh Wheelchair Rugby Open returns, and this year it will be even bigger than before with two teams from Wales – Ospreys and Newport Dragons – competing against teams from England. A very physical sport to play and a thundering spectacle to watch.
Five clubs will compete in a WR5s tournament – with Newport Dragons and Ospreys representing Wales and from England the Taunton Gladiators, Leicester Swifts and Endeavour Punishers.
The WSA is delighted to once again see member organisations collaborate for the Para Sport festival this year, with DSW picking up the award for Best Collaboration Initiative at the 2024 WSA Sports Industry Awards for last year’s edition.
It’s a crucial initiative in promoting inclusive sport, and a brilliant occasion for high quality sport to be accessible for all.
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