It started with an idea during Eric's (CEO & Founder Team TOC) corona period. Now 4 years later, it has become a reality: The European Para Championships. A multisport event for paralympic sports. A version already exists for Pan-America and Asia but never before for Europe.
The event comes entirely from Team TOC. From start to finish, everything is conceived in-house. For this event, the team had been expanded with a group of enthusiastic and professional freelancers, each responsible for a part of this event.
We couldn't have done this without
Multisport
The European Para Championships is a multisport event. The event will become a permanent part of the parasport calendar, returning to a major European city every four years. The very first edition of the European Para Championships took place in Rotterdam, from Tuesday 8 to Sunday 20 August 2023. 1,500 athletes from 45 countries competed against each other for the European titles and placement for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Sports
All ten sports that were part of the European Para Championships 2023 have a direct link to the 'Road to Paris 2024'. Indeed, athletes earned Paralympic qualification points in Rotterdam. In some cases, direct qualification for the Paralympics was even at stake. The first edition of the European Para Championships consists of ten different sports:
Para archery, Para badminton, Boccia, Para cycling, Goalball, Para judo, Shooting para sport, Para taekwondo, Wheelchair tennis, Wheelchair basketball
Locations
Rotterdam was the host city of the European Para Championships in 2023. The 'main hub' is Rotterdam Ahoy, where several sports took place under one roof. Besides this world-class indoor accommodation, the EPC also hosted several outdoor venues in the heart of Rotterdam. With these 'city centre courts', the organisation brought parasports to the people and presented the sports to the city, its inhabitants and visitors in a unique, high-quality manner.
Rotterdam Ahoy
Most competitions took place in Rotterdam Ahoy, without doubt one of the best and most professional event venues in the Netherlands. Very well known as the 'biggest on earth' since 1971.
City centre courts
The Schouwburgplein, right in the centre of the city of Rotterdam, hosted the wheelchair tennis and boccia finals during the European Para Championships.
The Kop van Zuid, in the heart of Rotterdam, was the theatre for the final day of Para Archery, on Saturday 19 August. At this unique venue, located next to Hotel New York, the best European Para Archers have shown their skills and competed for medals under the watchful eye of fans, right in the centre of the city!
Part of the Para Cycling races was organised around the Willem Alexander Baan. The Team Relay in Para Cycling was held in the Scheepvaartkwartier in the heart of the city of Rotterdam.
Want to know more?
The European Para Championships is an event we as Team TOC are really proud of. And we understand if you would like to know more about it! You can find all the information on the EPC2023 website.
