The world's elite athletes have arrived to compete in the 6th Fazza IPC Powerlifting World Cup Dubai 2015 which gets under way on Sunday March 15 at Dubai Club for the Disabled.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, it is organised and supervised by the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center (HHC) and Dubai Club for the Disabled with the support of the Dubai Sports Council and UAE Paralympic Committee.

Workshops and seminars for the competitors and technical officials have been held since Thursday as preparations intensified for the championship which will see the participation of 133 athletes from 24 countries.

The Fazza championships which will continue until Wednesday March 18, has attracted athletes from Azerbaijan, Jordan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Thailand, Egypt, Slovakia, Syria, France, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Netherlands, India, Mongolia, Poland, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Hungary, Ivory Coast and hosts United Arab Emirates.

Each day of competition is scheduled to begin at 10.30am followed by medal ceremonies.

The organising committee of Fazza IPC Powerlifting World Cup Dubai has been working very hard to ensure the success of this world class event in keeping with the directives of Sheikh Hamdan so that everything is of the highest standard.

This event has established itself in the international calendar as one of the most important championships in the world for the disabled.

Majid Abdullah Al Usaimi, Executive Director at the Dubai Club for the Disabled and Director of Fazza Championship for the Disabled said the objective of this world class event is to reflect the cultural heritage of the country.

"Giving attention to disabled is very crucial to us in expressing the country's civilisation because it plays a major role in planting the seeds of confidence among those who are disabled and raising the awareness on how others look at them when they become achievers in front of their nation and society," said Al Usaimi.

He added: "The vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, is to continuously support this group of people which represents the core values of Fazza Championships."

Al Usaimi appealed to the public to throw their weight behind this event by actively supporting these athletes.

"We want the public to come and cheer because this is very important to sustain any sport.
This time we are looking at bringing people from all nationalities and walks of life from within and outside the country to watch this great championship which has become a world sport and brings nations together," he added.

Ebtisam Al Suwaidi, Head of Media Committee at Fazza Championships stressed on the importance of media to give these deserving athletes moral support.

"Media plays a major role in the Fazza Championships for the Disabled and it is regarded as a very important arm to make it a success conveying through print and electronic media by not only covering it on a regional level but also at international level," said Al Suwaidi.

Training programmes, lectures and workshops set up by the organising committee in cooperation with IPC (International Paralympic Committee) began under the theme 'Create your own ideal future in sport' by Aysha Al Muhairi, an IPC member from Kuwait.

The objective of this exercise was to build confidence in the athletes of Dubai Club for the Disabled so they become psychologically strong to overcome fear and to get good results.

UAE will be represented by 12 athletes, including three females, in this Fazza Championship.

Al Muhairi spoke on how to create positive energy before setting off on a major challenge and how such motivation makes a difference in achieving results.

Jon Amos, IPC Powerlifting Chairman, hosted a special workshop for the tournament’s referees, discussing the rules and regulations as well as various technical issues related to the sport.

Another IPC member Noora Azeema briefed athletes on how to get international accreditation.

This is the fourth championship under the umbrella of the Fazza Championships for People with Disability to be held this season, after the Fazza National Championships for People with Disability, Fazza International Para-Archery Competition, Fazza International Athletics IPC Grand Prix Dubai 2015, which witnessed the participation of around 500 athletes.

The Fazza International Championship for Boccia is due to be held in April, followed by Fazza International Wheelchair Basketball Championships in May.