Rome to host wheelchair dance Worlds

IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport announced on Wednesday (1 July) that the 2015 World Championships will be held in Rome, Italy, from 6-8 November.

The competition, organised by the Italian Dance Sport Federation (FIDS), is expected to attract more than 160 athletes from nearly 30 countries and will be hosted at the Bocciodromo.

It will also feature freestyle and singles events for the first time, after the disciplines were added in 2014, to bring the number of medal events to 14 across class 1 and 2.

Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are very much looking forward to this hotly anticipated competition in Rome later this year, and for the debut of freestyle and singles at a World Championships.

“The Worlds are what all dancers work towards and we are pleased to be able to offer consistent opportunities for the best in the world to compete against each other on a global stage.

“I am grateful to the FIDS for their support in putting on what I am sure will be a great event in one of the Rome’s best dance venues.”

Christian Zamblera, President of FIDS added: "It's an honour and a privilege for us to host such an important event in Italy for the first time.

“On behalf of the Italian Dance Sport Federation and all of my staff, I want to express the joy and the pride of being able to include the World Championships on the list of next autumn’s events.

“I hope this is just the beginning of an even more solid partnership between FIDS and IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport and I'm looking forward to attending this amazing event."

The 2015 IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships will complete the calendar for the year, which has already featured competitions in Kazakhstan, Serbia and Germany and will move to Taiwan, Russia and Belgium from July to October. It also follows a successful European Championships in Lomianki, Poland, in 2014.

At the 2013 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, more than 150 dancers from 20 countries competed in couple’s medal events across Latin and standard.

The Ukrainian pairing of Nadia and Ivan Sivak headlined the event, graciously dancing to two golds in duo standard and Latin.