Dubai, Apr 11: The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) on Friday announced that the fifth Asian Youth Para Games will take place in Dubai, UAE from December 7–14, 2025. Dubai has been handed the hosting rights on the rebound as the original host Tashkent had pulled out a few months back.

This is the second time that Dubai will be hosting the event. Dubai first hosted the Asian Youth Para Games in 2017.

The news comes four months after the APC announced that the original host city of Tashkent was unable to go ahead with staging games, originally scheduled for October.

“The Asian Youth Para Games are a vital part of developing the Paralympic Movement in Asia. They give young athletes the chance to get their international classification and to test themselves in a prestigious multi-sport event," APC President Majid Rashed said in a release on Friday.

"We are very grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Dubai Sports Council, and the Dubai Club for People of Determination for stepping up to ensure that the fifth edition of the games will go ahead. With their previous experience of hosting the event in 2017 and Dubai’s track record of hosting para-sports events, we are confident that the games will be a huge success,” he said.

Four objectives have been set by the Local Organising Committee for the event: promote inclusivity and create a platform for young athletes with disabilities; inspire youthwith disabilities by encouraging participation in sports; foster regional unity by strengthening ties among Asian nations and showcase Dubai by highlighting their world-class infrastructure and commitment to inclusivity.

According to the APC release, 30-40 countries are expected to send an estimated 1350 athletes to Dubai to compete in 10 sports. This will make them the biggest-ever Asian Youth Para Games in terms of athlete numbers and countries attending.

The 10 sports that will feature are Para Athletics, Para Swimming, Para Power-lifting, Para Taekwondo, Para Archery, Para Table Tennis, Para Badminton, Wheelchair Basketball, Boccia, and Goalball.

The Dubai Club for People of Determination will be the venue for six of the 10 sports.

Dubai is a popular host for para-sports, organising the FAZZA International Para-Athletics Championships and the FAZZA Para-Archery Championships etc.

--IANS

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