In a comprehensive event and venue testing programme announced by London 2012 that includes a mix of world-level competitions and low-key invitational events, an invitational women’s goalball tournament will take place in the Handball Arena (pictured) on the Olympic Park from December 3-4, 2011.

While 20 sports will be on display during the London 2012 Paralympics, only six of the sports will be tested in their London 2012 venue ahead Paralympic Games.

This is because the majority of the venues will undergo testing with Olympic sports being staged there to ensure that they are ready to host world class competition ahead of the Games.

As well as goalball; archery, athletics, boccia, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis are all set to undergo testing at their specific London 2012 venues. 

Sebastian Coe, the London 2012 chairman, said: "Our approach to operational delivery is similar to that of an athlete.  

"You do not want to face any conditions at competition time that you have not prepared for.  

"When the world’s greatest Olympic and Paralympic athletes come to London in the summer of 2012, every aspect of our delivery needs to be the best it can be. 

"The invaluable experience we gain through our testing programme means we can ‘road-test’ all our operational plans and make sure we have all the knowledge we need to deliver a truly memorable Games in 2012."

Athletics appears to be the highlight of the London 2012 Paralympic testing programme as it will be staged at the Olympic Stadium itself in the form of the London Disability Grand Prix on May 8, 2012 with the event set to be ticketed by organisers.

The other Paralympic test event set to be ticketed is the wheelchair tennis event from May 2-6, 2012.



The wheelchair tennis test event will be an International Tennis Federation (ITF) 3 Event held at the brand new courts currently under construction at Eton Mannor not far from the Olympic Park.

The Paralympic archery test event will be staged at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich from May 4-6, 2012 in the form on an invitational event while boicca will be held at the Basketball Arena on the Olympic Park from May 5-7, 2012 and will also be an invitation event.

Wheelchair rugby will also be staged at the Basketball Arena on the Olympic Park and will be an invitational event but a date for the competition has not yet been confirmed.

Liz Nicholl, the chief executive of UK Sport, said: "UK Sport’s World Class Events Programme has been preparing Britain’s sports and elite athletes for their home Games in London for the past five years, so it is fantastic to be supporting LOCOG’s testing programme at this crucial time through the major international events we are bringing to Olympic and Paralympic venues in 2011 and 2012.

"Working in partnership with nearly every British Olympic and Paralympic sport to host events on home soil in readiness for London has transformed our events staging capacity within the UK, and is allowing us to target an ambitious programme of world class events for the UK beyond 2012."

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