French Para athletes will compete at a home World Championships before the Paralympic Games  ©Getty Images

Paris has been announced as host of the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, with the event expected to be the largest Para sport competition held prior to the French capital hosting the Paralympic Games in 2024.

Competition will take place from July 8 to 17 at the Charlety Stadium.

The venue has hosted World Para Athletics Grand Prix events since 2017.

"It is not common that the host city of the Paralympics also hosts such a major World Championships one year before the Games,” said Andrew Parsons, International Paralympic Committee President.

"I hope everyone is excited with the news as we are.

"The best athletes in the world will be inspiring and exciting Paris already in a great World Championships in 2023 and will return in 2024 for the Paralympic Games."

World Para Athletics and the French Handisport Federation (FFH) announced the awarding of the event.

French Secretary of State in charge of People with Disabilities, Sophie Cluzel and Deputy Mayor of Paris, Pierre Rabadan, participated in the announcement.

They were joined by French Paralympic and Sports Committee President Marie-Amélie Le Fur, a four-time world champion, and athletes Arnaud Assoumani and Alexandra Nouchet.

"We are very proud to work on the World Para Athletics Championships Paris23 project," said Guislaine Westelynck, FFH President.

"We are already visualising it, we are already dreaming about it, with all the synergies and the legacy it can bring.

"I am confident thanks to our knowledge, after the successes of Villeneuve d'Ascq 2002, Lyon 2013, the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris, and all the international competitions that we have already organised in other sports.

"I am pleased with the support from the institutional partners, who immediately positioned themselves on the starting line alongside us.

"What a fantastic opportunity to celebrate athletes from all over the world, one year before hosting the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Dubai hosted the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships ©Getty Images
Dubai hosted the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships ©Getty Images

France will become the first nation to host the World Para Athletics Championships on three occasions.

Britain is the only other country to have held the World Championships twice.

World Para Athletics had launched the bid process for the 2023 and 2025 World Championships last December.

The World Championships is held on a biennial basis, with the previous edition of the event taking place at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Kobe had been due to host this year’s World Championships, but the event in the Japanese city was pushed back to 2022 due to the COVID-19-enforced rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

World Para Athletics head Haozhe Gao believes Paris can host the best edition of the event to date.