Beigang Open ready for Para dance brilliance

After months of rehearsals, dancers are ready to show their polished performances at the Beigang Para Dance Sport Open, which begins on Saturday (6 October) in Chinese Taipei.

The two-day competition will be the fourth event of 2018, but first since June’s Polish Open in Lomianki.

Ten medal events will be contested by 76 athletes from 13 countries.

The Beigang Open will mark an historic first with India making their Para dance sport debut. It is also the penultimate competition before the 2018 European Championships in Lomianki next month, making this weekend particularly important for athletes such as Belgium’s Sofie Cox and Poland’s Pawel Karpinski.

Cox will see if her routines in the women’s singles and freestyle 2 are medal-worthy. She will certainly have confidence in her freestyle performance after taking bronze in June’s Polish Open.

The reigning Worlds bronze medallist Karpinski will test his form in the men’s single class 2 ahead of his home Championships.

South Korea’s Changwoo Han will get to show why he is the reigning world champion in the men’s singles class 1. But Hong Kong’s Wah Keung Ma can also put on a winning routine after joining Han on the Worlds podium with bronze.

The Philippines’ star couple in Rhea Marquez and Julius Obero are the hot favourites in the combi freestyle and combi Latin class 2, especially following their double-gold medals from Malle 2017. However, Ukraine’s runner-up Olena Dankevych and Ivan Zamiga will try to spoil the Filipino’s show in the combi Latin 2.

More world championship partnerships will put on their best this weekend.

Han will try for more gold when he joins standing partner Jini Ryu in the combi Latin 1, which they own the world title in.

In the duo Latin 1, Hong Kong’s world silver medallists Chan Kam Tim and Ma Wah Keung have proven to be a power couple.

Kazakhstan’s 2017 world bronze medallists Aidana Beglenova and Ardak Otorbayev will also take the dance floor in the combi standard 1.

The Beigang Open runs until Sunday (7 October) and will be streamed live on World Para Dance Sport’s website.