The event, which will focus upon nations in the Central America and the Caribbean region, has been scheduled for June 2 to 7 and should include 150 participants, consisting of athletes, coaches, classifiers and officials. 

Organised by the El Salvador National Paralympic Committee, the event is part of a broader project in the Central Americas region funded by the Agitos Foundation's Grant Support Project.

This has already involved a goalball tournament last November successfully staged in Managua, Nicaragua's capital, with the latest event hailed as a major opportunity for neighbouring countries in the area. 

"We are proud to host the first country-level Central American and Caribbean athletics meeting of this type, said Paralympic Committee of El Salvador (COPESA) President Jorge Ochoa.

"It speaks highly of El Salvador and shows the International Paralympic Committee and Agitos Foundation has seen our efforts to develop sport for people with disabilities."

The qualification event in El Salvador will form a major part of preparation for the Para-Pan American Games, last held in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2011 ©AFP/Getty Images



Athlete classification opportunities will also take place over the three days before the Games, it was confirmed.

At least 10 countries are expected to compete, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Puerto Rico, with other South American nations also to be invited.

The Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games are then scheduled for August 7 to 15, with around 1,600 athletes set to compete across 28 different sports. 

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