UAE's Mohammed Al Hammadi who won gold in the 100m T33/34 event on the opening day of the GCC Para-Athletics Championships in Qatar on Saturday.

The competition which also serves as a preparation for the upcoming IPC Athletics World Championships began with an opening ceremony at Doha's Qatar Sports Club.

"My gold medal here today in the 100m T33 event will only motivate me to achieve greater things in the Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in October. Qatar will be the first country in the Middle East to ever host the World Championships and it will mean a lot to win gold in this historic edition,” said Al Hammadi who was among 27 winners on the first day of competition.

Two world records were broken with Qatar's Abdelrahman Abdelqader setting a new mark in the Shot Put F34 event while Kuwait's Ahmed Al Mutairi broke the record in the 100m T33 event.

Abdelqader, showed he is in great form ahead of next month's IPC Athletics World Championships, with a decisive victory and a new world record of 10.68 meters.

He said: "I am extremely happy with my performance today. This is my last competition before the Doha 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in October and I hope to enter the World Championships in the same form as I was in today and break more records and win glory for Qatar.”

The GCC Para-Athletics Championships bring together over 200 of the best para-athletes from across the region.

Six countries are participating, including hosts Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Organised by the GCC Organising Committee for Sports of the Disabled, the Championships aim to create new platforms for regional athletes through which they can experience high-level competition and gain invaluable experience that can be transferred to the world stage.

The 2015 GCC Para-Athletics Championships was inaugurated with an Opening Ceremony attended by Khalid Al-Mohannadi, Chairman of the GCC Para-Athletics Championships Organising Committee and Ameer Al Mulla, CEO of the Championships.

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, Khalid Al Mohannadi, Chairman of the GCC Para-Athletics Championships Organising Committee, said:

"The GCC Para-Athletics Championships provide an opportunity to raise awareness of para-sport and people with a disability. The athletes that will be competing over the next four days will showcase their incredible abilities, demonstrating how no challenge is too small and that there are no limits to what can be achieved. We hope that their performances will help to break down barriers and change perceptions across the whole region.”

Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the GCC Organising Committee for Sports of the Disabled, speaking during the Opening Ceremony said: "The GCC is filled with world class athletes of the highest calibre; world record holders, Paralympic Champions and Asian Champions. We expect new records to be set during these Championships and we hope that they will help in raising awareness of para-sport across the GCC.”
Source: Emirates 24│7