TEHRAN – Bahrain has been awarded the right to host the fourth edition of the Asian Youth Para Games.

The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) announced that on Wednesday.

The Games will be held in the Persian Gulf country from December 1 to 10.

The event is being organized in conjunction with the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Bahrain with the support of the local government.

An estimated 800 athletes under 20 years of age are expected to compete in nine sports; Athletics, Badminton, Boccia, Goalball, Para Taekwondo, Powerlifting, Swimming, Table Tennis and Wheelchair Basketball.

The Asian Youth Para Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for youth athletes with physical disabilities. The first Games was held in 2009 in Tokyo, Japan.

In the past three editions, Iran finished second behind Japan.

“The APC’s new vision is to ‘Make for an inclusive Asia through Para-sport’ and I can think of no better place to start achieving that than with the region’s youth,” APC President Majid Rashed commented.

“We’re delighted that the NPC of Bahrain has put together such a strong bid to host the next Asian Youth Para Games and we offer our thanks to them and their government for supporting the next generation of Asian para-athletes.

“Providing opportunities for young para-athletes to compete in a multi-sport environment will hopefully inspire them to continue on their sporting journey which may lead ultimately to the Paralympic Games.”