The BT Paralympic World Cup is currently the largest international annual multi-sport competition in disability sport and has been staged annually in Manchester since 2005.

The 2010 event will host up to 400 athletes from 31 countries including star names such as South Africa's Oscar Pistorius and Natalie du Toit and Britain's Dave Roberts and Ellie Simmonds.

The athletes will compete in the four sports of athletics, swimming, wheelchair basketball and now football 7-a-side which is an adaption of the sport of football for athletes with cerebral palsy. 

Track cycling has previously been included as a sport in the BT Paralympic World Cup since it began five years ago but in order to enable other Paralympic sports to receive key competition and exposure in the build up to London 2012, has been replaced by football seven-a-side in move many think will prove extremely popular.

Given (pictured middle of front row) told insideworldparasport: "I’m delighted to lend my support to an event like the BT Paralympic World Cup and I'm very pleased that football will feature for the first time ever this year.

"Football is one of the biggest sports in the world and in a city like Manchester that is very passionate about the game, I’m sure the GB guys will get great support.”

A new team format has been introduced for the 2010 which will see athletes from Britain take on teams from the Americas, Europe and the Rest of the World across the four sports.

An overall BT Paralympic World Cup trophy will be awarded to the team with the most points at the end of competition while the events are set to be held at the Manchester Regional Athletics Arena and the Manchester Aquatics Centre from May 25 to 31.

ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane has welcomed the new sport and team format and said: "We are delighted to have Football seven-a-side included in the BT Paralympic World Cup which we believe will be the World Cup to watch this year.

"I know that Manchester will again do a fantastic job to stage what has proven to be a crucial event for leading Paralympic athletes."

British seven-a-side team captain Jordan Raynes said: "I'm very excited that Football seven-a-side has been included in the BT Paralympic World Cup.

"To have an elite event outside of the Paralympic Games with other leading Football nations will be imperative to the team’s progression as we look forward to the 2012 Paralympic Games and look to build on our seventh place finish in Beijing in 2008."

The BT Paralympic World Cup is sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), CP ISRA and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and supported by ParalympicsGB, the FA, BT, Manchester City Council and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The BBC is the official televised partner to the event for its last contracted year and will again broadcast highlights and live coverage from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday May 31 on BBC Television.

Dave Gordon, head of major events for BBC Sport said: "We’re looking forward to our part in bringing this event to the viewer and continuing to raise the profile of disability sports, something that we have a very proud tradition of doing."

BT’s four year sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup while BT’s rights include extensive branding at all events, tickets and other additional marketing rights. 

Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup will be available from March 2010 and for more information click here.

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