Although 2019 won’t have a Summer or Winter Paralympic Games, there’s plenty of Paralympic sport to look forward to in the new year. Take a look at some of the upcoming events in 2019 where Team USA will compete for the top of the podium!
World Para Nordic Skiing Championships - Prince George, British Columbia: February 16-24
Prince George will host the 2019 World Para Nordic Skiing Championships in February, two years after Finsterau, Germany hosted the last world championship in 2017. The United States finished with four gold, one silver and two bronze medals to tie Canada for second in the overall medal count.
World Wheelchair Curling Championship - Stirling, Scotland: March 3-10
Twelve nations, including the United States, punched their ticket to the 2019 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. This marks the first time that 12 teams will compete in a world wheelchair championship and the first opportunity to win qualification points for the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships - Apeldoorn, Netherlands: March 14-17
The Netherlands will be hosting both the track and road Para-cycling world championship events in 2019. Team USA earned eight medals – two golds and six bronzes – at last year’s track world championships, sending 14 riders to the event, the second largest group behind Great Britain’s 16.
World Para Snowboard World Championships – Pyha, Finland: March 26-31
The largest Para snowboarding event of the season, the 2019 World Para Snowboard Championships will take place in Pyha, Finland, and is organized by the Finnish Snowboard Association and Pyha Ski Resort. Team USA competed in Pyha on the first stop of the 2018-19 World Para Snowboarding world cup circuit, earning six medals – two golds and four bronzes – in snowboardcross.
World Para Ice Hockey Championships - Ostrava, Czech Republic: April 27- May 4
Team USA will compete against teams like Canada, South Korea and Norway at the 2019 World Para Ice Hockey Championships. The rivalry between the U.S. and Canada is sure to heat up after the U.S. fell to Canada in the 2017 world championships. Team USA would then go on to defeat the Canadians and claim the gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
World Para Swimming World Championships - Kuching, Malaysia: July 29- August 4
Malaysia will be the first Asian country to host the World Para Swimming Championships, and will host approximately 600 swimmers from 70 countries. American swimmers finished second in the overall medal table at the 2017 World Para Swimming World Championships, racking up 54 total medals.
Parapan American Games – Lima, Peru: August 23 – September 1
The organizing committee for the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games announced that a record-breaking 22 disciplines will serve as qualifiers for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. This 2019 Parapan American Games will feature 1,890 athletes, 17 sports and 18 disciplines. At the last edition of the Parapan American Games, Team USA came away with a record medal haul of 135 total medals, including 40 golds, 51 silvers and 44 bronzes – the most ever won by the U.S. at this event.
ITU World Triathlon Grand Final - Lausanne, Switzerland: August 31- September 1
American paratriathletes will be back in action at the 2019 ITU Elite Paratriathlon World Championships, after winning five medals, including golds from Mark Barr and Allysa Seely, at last year’s event. Seventeen elite paratriathletes represented the U.S. at the event, capping off one of Team USA’s most dominant world cup seasons.
UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships - Emmen, Netherlands: September 11-15
American cyclists will head to the Netherlands to compete at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships. Team USA earned 15 medals at last year’s world championships in Maniago, Italy, finishing second overall on the medal leaderboard. Will Groulx, Oz Sanchez, Ryan Boyle, Shawn Morelli and Jill Walsh each won two gold medals at the event.
World Shooting Para Sport World Championships - Sydney, Australia: October 9-19
The 2019 World Shooting Para Sport World Championship will be hosted in Sydney, Australia, and organized by Shooting Australia. The event will be the first shooting Para sport event to combine rifle, pistol and the new Para trap disciplines after Para trap was recently approved as an official discipline under World Shooting Para Sport.
World Para Athletics Championships - Dubai: November 7-15
The 2019 World Para Athletics Championships will serve as the final major opportunity for athletes to earn slots for Team USA prior to the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Around 1,300 athletes from over 100 countries are expected to compete in Dubai, which will host the competition for the first time.
