The Paralympics will take place from August 29 to September 9 next year, while the publication of the competition schedule for the event comes shortly before the sale of tickets, which will take place next month from September 9 to September 26 in the random ballot format used for the Olympic Games earlier this year.

This means that there will be no advantage in applying early in the process but the golden ticket will be a seat at the at the Olympic Stadium on the evening of September 6 when Paralympic champion Pistorius and world champion Singleton go head to head.

In what looks to be the best race in the history of Paralympic sporting competition, Singleton caused a major shock as he beat Pistorius at the Christchurch 2011 World Championships in January by 0.01sec to hand Pistorius his first defeat in disability competition in seven years and avenge his narrow defeat to the same man at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.

Pistorius though, who will be the headline act at the 2012 Paralympics, will be looking to show he is still number one in the event, while he will also be favourite to defend his title in the 200m T44 and 400m T44 events.

The final of those two events will take place on September 2 and September 8 respectively and tickets to the evening sessions that Pistorius is competing in will be the most expensive at the Paralympic Games, with category A seats available at £45 ($74/€51), category B seats at £30 ($49/€34), category C tickets at £20 ($33/€23), and special price tickets at £5 ($8/€6).

"Our elite athletes will captivate billions around the world, will inspire millions and ultimately lead to societal change and help alter perceptions of what can be achieved by a person with an impairment," said International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven.

"The Games are heading back to their spiritual home and with 4,200 athletes from 150 countries, will be the biggest and potentially the best Paralympic Games yet.

"These are a Games not to be missed and the announcement of the competition schedule, together with International Paralympic Day on September 8, act as two steps closer to the Opening Ceremony of the Games next year."

In total the Paralympic Games, the world's second largest sporting event in scale and size, will see 11 days of competition, with 300 sessions across 20 sports set to take place across 20 venues.


For British fans, double Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds (pictured) will be the one to watch as she goes for gold in the Aquatics Centre.

The swimmer is tipped to defend the titles she won at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics in the 400m freestyle S6 final on September 1 and in the 100m freestyle on September 8.

Another British Paralympic star fans will be hoping to catch is David Weir as the Londoner looks to underline his status as the fastest T54 wheelchair racer on the planet.

The T54 category is the most competitive in Paralympic sport and the highlight will come in the 1,500m T54 final on September 2 when Weir is likely to take on fierce rivals Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Australia's Kurt Fearnley.

The trio are also expected to line up in the marathon T54 race around the streets of the capital, which takes place on the last day of the event on September 9.

South Africa's 10-time Paralympic champion Natalie du Toit is targeting seven gold medals at London 2012, with her first medal likely to come in the women's 100m butterfly final S9 on August 30.


Meanwhile, in wheelchair tennis, the women's singles gold-medal match on September 7 at Eton Manor will almost certainly see Dutch star Esther Vergeer (pictured) take her fourth consecutive Paralympic singles gold as she has not lost in her last 420 matches.

Rowing fans should head to Eton Dorney on September 2 when all the finals will take place and Britain's reigning Paralympic champion and three-time world champion Tom Aggar is a safe bet for gold.

IPC President Sir Philip said the event he is most looking forward to, as a former GB wheelchair basketball player, is the men's wheelchair basketball gold medal match on September 8.

London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe said: "By applying for tickets, people can enjoy the unique passion, drama and emotion of the Paralympic Games and see sport like never before.

"With the competition schedule, we want to give the public a chance to have a think about which tickets they would like to apply for and start planning their Games.

"The superstars of Paralympic sport are coming to the UK next year and no one should miss out on the action."

Tickets will go on sale from 9am on September 9 next month here, while prices, announced earlier this year, mean that a third of tickets will be priced at £5 ($8)/€6), half at £10 ($16/€11) or less and three quarters of tickets priced at £20 ($32/€22) or less.

A Group Organiser scheme has also been created, which will see groups buying 20 tickets receive two additional tickets at no extra charge, groups of thirty receiving three and so on up to 50 tickets.

Day pass tickets will also be available, enabling people to see more than one sport in a day at the Olympic Park, ExCeL and The Royal Artillery Barracks, while wheelchair spaces are available in all price categories for every Paralympic sport.

A companion seat is included in the cost of a ticket for a wheelchair space and where applicable, the special prices for young people and seniors are also available when purchasing a wheelchair space.

There is also a Ticketcare scheme, which is designed for disabled people who do not need a wheelchair space but cannot come to the Games without a carer or personal assistant.

To view the competition schedule in full, click here.

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