Athletes competing at the Paralympic World Cup due to kick off in Great Britain will get a taste of what to expect at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

The competition, held in Manchester from 7 to 11 May, will feature an extended programme of events for Athletics, Swimming, Cycling and Wheelchair Basketball following the same format as previous years. The new schedule has been designed to closely replicate conditions expected at Beijing in September, giving competing athletes the chance to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.

Amputee Swimmer turned Cyclist Jody Cundy, who won double gold in the LC2 class at the Paralympic World Cup in 2007, is looking forward to building on her success at this year’s event. She said: “I am still relatively new to Cycling and therefore the more competition I can have at a high level, the more I will be ready when the Paralympics come round. I have enjoyed huge success in Manchester and hope to do the same again this year. It promises to be a wonderful competition for us all.”

Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said: "This year’s Paralympic World Cup in Manchester will be again an exciting sport event on the international sporting calendar. With the countdown to the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games well underway, the competition this year promises again to be of high standard, as well as a good test for all competitors."

The Paralympic World Cup is hosted by the British Paralympic Association, sanctioned by the IPC and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by UK Sport, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The BBC will be covering the event, which is one of the biggest multi sport competitions for elite athletes with a disability outside the Paralympic Games. The competition was created to provide an annual world class multi sport disability event, to give elite athletes more opportunity to compete with their international counterparts in between the four yearly Paralympic Games and showcase Paralympic sport around the world.

For more information, visit www.paralympicworldcup.com.