The inaugural IPC Grand Prix Final at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham will be the culmination of a series of global Paralympic athletics meetings in the style of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League.

The event is set to feature some of Britain's top Paralympic stars including Jonnie Peacock, Dave Weir, Hannah Cockroft and Richard Whitehead in the first major Paralympic athletics meet in the United Kingdom since London 2012.

Meanwhile, the London Anniversary Games will consist of an IAAF Diamond League meet on July 26 and 27, with a one-off IPC International Challenge on the final day on July 28.

The announcement means Channel 4 will now broadcast the IPC International Challenge, where Peacock will again headline.

The deal comes shortly after Channel 4 secured the rights for the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games following its BAFTA award winning coverage of London 2012.

Channel 4 will also broadcast the 2013 IPC World Athletics Championships in Lyon, France on July 19 until 28, ensuring a major summer of Paralympic athletics from the broadcaster.

"Channel 4's BAFTA award winning coverage of the 2012 Games brought Paralympic sport to a whole new audience in the UK and had a positive impact on attitudes towards disability sport," said Channel 4's sports editor Jamie Aitchison.

"I'm delighted that we're continuing the story with live coverage of the Sainsbury's Grand Prix and Sainsbury's Anniversary Games."


The deal comes after Channel 4's coverage of the London 2012 Paralympics reached 39.9 million people – more than 69 per cent of the UK population.

This compares to a reach of 20.5 million for the BBC's coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

"The 2012 Paralympic coverage marked a watershed moment for the sport," said British Athletics' commercial director Sophia Warner, herself a Paralympian.

"Channel 4 superbly showcased British Athletics' Paralympians and helped create some of the Britain's biggest and brightest new sports stars.

"Major brands are now recognising that these athletes have a unique appeal to the British public."

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