Your chance to enjoy a special night at World Para Athletics

In action: David Weir wins gold at London 2012

With six weeks to go before the World Para Athletics Championships begins, the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund has joined forces with London 2017 to provide a special night of sport for charitable groups and readers.

As the world’s best athletes prepare to head to the London Stadium for the World Para Athletics, starting on July 14, and for the IAAF World Championships in August, up to 5,000 free tickets have been set aside for Standard readers and beneficiaries of our charitable fund.

In the exclusive first-come-first-served offer for the night of Thursday July 20:

A total of 2,500 free tickets have been made available for beneficiaries of the hundreds of charitable groups funded by the Dispossessed Fund since 2010.

Another 2,500 free tickets can be claimed by general Standard readers.

In 2012, the Paralympic Games sold out in advance. The events scheduled on July 20 are set to feature some of the biggest British names in para athletics and include finals for the 100m, 400m, 800m, discus, shot put and long jump.

How to apply for tickets

 

Readers seeking free tickets for July 20 (limit  of four per email application) should apply to: paraathleticschampionships.com/eveningstandard

Groups funded by the Dispossessed Fund will be contacted by The London Community Foundation and informed how to apply for tickets.

The British para team will be looking to improve on their haul of 31 medals — 13 gold, nine silver, nine bronze — at the last World Para Championships in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in 2015.

In early August, the IAAF World Championships will begin in London. It is the first time both events are being staged in the same city in the same summer.

Niels de Vos, championship director of the World Para Athletics Championships and IAAF World Championships London 2017, said: “It’s extremely important for us to be working with the Dispossessed Fund and to show our support by offering 2,500 individuals from their funded groups the opportunity to see world-class sport. This year’s championships are set to be the biggest and best in the history of global para athletics.”

Jim Armstrong, founder of Laburnum Boat Club, a Hackney project providing kayaking to disadvantaged youths and funded by the Dispossessed Fund, said the offer was a boon.

“We do a lot of work with children with disabilities, especially autism, building their confidence and making them independent, so this a wonderful opportunity to expose them to a world of excellence,” he said.

“Many kids we work with are referred from special schools or local authorities and exhibit challenging behaviour, but once they get involved in kayaking, it calms and focuses them. The World Para Athletics Championships will be inspirational for them and raise their aspirations.”

Sab Bham, founder of Salaam Peace, an east London charity promoting respect and tolerance through sport, said he expected to take more than 50 young people along.

“We run sports programmes every Sunday for children with behavioural issues as well as some who are physically impaired, such as through Down’s syndrome, so this special offer is a great chance to show them what disabled people can achieve.

“One of our patrons is Tim Prendergast, a Paralympic 800m gold medallist in the visually impaired category, and he sometimes gives our youngsters motivational talks.

"Now our kids will be able to experience the incredible atmosphere of the World Para Athletics Championships for themselves.”

The World Para Athletics Championships run July 14 to 23. Tickets start at £10 for adults and £5 for under-16s (tickets.london2017athletics.com)

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