Al Ain: More than 90 international athletes, with physical disability, will come to the oasis early next month to participate in the World Championship of Wheelchair Race being held for the first time in the UAE.

The championship will be part of the Fourth International Athletics Meeting, running from February 3 to 6, at Al Ain Club for the Disabled with the cooperation of International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS), the organisers announced at a press conference on Sunday.

The event will be organised by Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care, Special Needs and Minors Affairs with the cooperation of Abu Dhabi Sports Council. The organisers are currently finalising the arrangements for the event.

"It's an international event that will encourage young people with special needs in the UAE to come forward and show their mettle in different sports," said Mariam Al Qubaisi, Head of the Special Needs Clubs at the Zayed Organisation.

Successful

She said the three previous athletics meeting have proved successful and laid the foundation for the championship this year.

The England-based IWAS, she said, had sent a team of observers to check the facilities at the Al Ain Club in Falaj Hazza district.

Tarek Souei, Head of the event's Technical Committee, said the championship will be held at the clubs' stadium.

"It is one of the three certified and fully equipped stadiums in the UAE and seventh in the Arab world," he said.

In the championship, athletes would compete on their wheelchairs in a 10 kilometre race along the city roads.

Around 90 athletes from different countries have registered themselves for the event, he said, hoping that the number might increase in the next couple of weeks.

The participants hail from the GCC and other Arab countries, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, UK, Australia, Japan, Thailand, among others.

The athletes will be allowed in the championship under the rules and regulations of the International Paralympics Committee (IPC).

Highly qualified officials from the UAE Athletics Federation will be officiating in the Al Ain Fourth International Athletics Meeting 2010 and the IWAS 10 kilometres road race world championship, he added.

Souei said apart from the championship, there would be a number of other track and field games for the athletes.

He said the event will also provide the opportunity for athletes to participate in more competitions in the qualifying period for the World Championships in 2011 to be held in Christchurch, New Zealand.