European Para Championships

European Para Championships

First event	2023 European Para Championships Rotterdam, Netherlands
Occur every	4 years
Last event	2023 European Para Championships Rotterdam, Netherlands
Purpose	Multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities from nations on the European continent
Headquarters	Oss, Netherlands [1]
Rights holder	European Para Championships BV
Website	https://europeanparachampionships.com/

The European Para Championships is a multi-sport event contested by para-athletes from European nations. The championships have been awarded the status of regional games by the European Paralympic Committee and offer qualification opportunities for the Paralympic Games. The Championships are partly analogous with the European Games, taking place a year before the Paralympic Games and endorsed by the EPC, and with the European Championships in that they represent a combination of selected European championships in different sports.

History

The event is founded by Eric Kersten from the Netherlands. In 2019, he started with the idea of combining different European Championships in parasports after his company Team TOC organized the World Archery Championships back to back with the World Para Archery Championships in the city centre of Den Bosch.

Editions

The championships are planned to be held on a four-year cycle, taking place in the year proceeding the Summer Paralympic Games. The first edition of the championships was held in August 2023 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} As of February 2024, Turkey and Germany are bidding to host the 2027 edition. ^[6] In November 2025, it was announced that the 2027 event would be held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Number	Year	Host	Sports	Events	Nations	Athletes	Top placed team
1	2023	Rotterdam, Netherlands [7]	10	144	42	1,500	France
2	2027	Geneva, Switzerland [8] [9]

Sports

The sports contested at the first European Para Championships are: para archery, para badminton, boccia, para cycling, goalball, para judo, para shooting, para taekwondo, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair tennis.

See also

• European Games
• European Championships (multi-sport event)
• European Youth Olympic Festival
• European Para Youth Games
• Paralympic Games
  • African Para Games
  • Asian Para Games
  • Parapan American Games
• World Para Athletics European Championships
• World Para Swimming European Championships

References

1. "European Para Championships B.V. Oss".
2. "About EPC". European Para Championships.
3. "Eric Kersten: The birth of the European Para Championships". www.insidethegames.biz. February 4, 2023.
4. "GAMES & EVENTS". Europaralympic.
5. "Rotterdam to host first-ever European Para Championships in 2023". www.insidethegames.biz. January 16, 2023.
6. "European Para Championships Receives Two 2027 Bids".
7. "European Para Championships". Facebook.
8. "The European Para Championships 2027 at Palexpo". Palexpo Geneva. 15 November 2025.
9. "Geneva to host 2027 European Para Championships". European Paralympic Committee. 6 November 2025.

External links

• European Para Championships