Cairo 2027: two major Games, two different programmes
Egypt is preparing for both the inaugural Arab Para Games in January and the African Games in August. This briefing separates what is confirmed from what remains unpublished so teams do not confuse the two entry pathways.
On 1 October, Egypt’s state news service reported that the Ministry of Youth and Sports had approved five Para sports for inclusion following work by the Egyptian Paralympic Committee. Egypt and the African Union had signed the African Games hosting agreement on 27 February 2026.
Para AthleticsPara PowerliftingPara Table TennisGoalballWheelchair Handball
What the announcement says about qualification
The Egyptian announcement says the first-place athletes in four of the sports would qualify for LA28 and that the wheelchair-handball winner would qualify for the 2028 World Championship. However, it does not identify the four sport-by-sport pathways or publish the governing technical regulations. ParaSports Connect therefore records these as host-announced qualification claims pending confirmation in the controlling federation documents.
No event or class list is published yet.Do not nominate athletes, promise qualification or build budgets around particular classes until the technical handbook, medal-event schedule, quotas and entry rules are issued.
Still outstanding
Final AU/African Games technical programme and competition dates.
Medal events, genders, sport classes and class-combination rules.
NPC quotas, eligibility, entry standards and deadlines.
International classification opportunities and status requirements.
Formal qualification allocations confirmed by each controlling federation.
Wheelchair-handball format, gender programme, classification system and World Championship pathway.
Operational impact
NPCs should identify broad long-list athletes across the five sports but keep selections provisional. Classification coordinators should audit international status and review dates now, while avoiding assumptions that every recognized class will appear in Cairo.
The Arab Sports Federation for Persons with Disabilities will own and technically supervise the first Arab Para Games, working with the Egyptian Paralympic Committee as host organizer and Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports as patron. The federation identifies Cairo International Stadium’s halls and sports complex as the principal venue.
The official Games page specifically identifies men’s Goalball, men’s Wheelchair Basketball and men’s Sitting Volleyball. It does not yet specify genders, events or classes for the eight remaining sports.
What is not yet published
Detailed competition and training schedule.
Medal-event list, eligible classes and class-combination rules.
Country quotas, delegation limits and final entry deadlines.
Qualification standards, selection rules and invitation procedure.
Classification panels, evaluation appointments and required statuses.
Anti-doping, accreditation, equipment, transport and accommodation manuals.
Any confirmed pathway to LA28; the federation describes this as a future ambition, not an established qualification mechanism.
Operational impact
Arab NPCs have a short preparation runway. They should establish sport leads, provisional team sizes and travel assumptions now, while awaiting the technical manual before final athlete selection. Non-Arab African NPCs should not treat this event as part of the African Games.
Para Athletics · Para Powerlifting · Para Table Tennis · Goalball
African Games only, currently announced
Wheelchair Handball
Arab Para Games only, currently announced
Para Swimming · Wheelchair Basketball · Sitting Volleyball · Boccia · Para Badminton · Para Taekwondo · Para Cycling
COORDINATOR ACTIONS
Prepare without overcommitting
Create separate planning records, budgets and selection files for the January and August Games.
Build provisional athlete long lists only in the announced sports.
Audit classification status, review dates, passports and federation licences.
Do not publish specific classes, medal events or LA28 places until controlling documents confirm them.
Assign one official to monitor each sport federation plus the Arab federation, Egyptian Paralympic Committee and AU Sports Council.
Flag team-sport gender differences: the Arab programme currently names three men’s competitions; the African programme does not yet specify gender.
PUBLICATION WATCH
Documents to capture next
Arab Para Games technical handbookAfrican Games Para sport technical regulationsMedal-event and classification tablesNPC invitation and quota lettersEntry-by-number and entry-by-name deadlinesInternational classification scheduleLA28 qualification confirmationsVenue and daily competition schedules
STATUS LANGUAGE
How administrators should describe these Games
Arab Para Games: confirmed dates, location and 11-sport programme; detailed technical package pending.
African Games: five Para sports approved by Egyptian host authorities; final event, class, quota and technical programme pending.
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