The competition, which is the biggest Paralympic event ahead of the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, will feature around 1,100 competitors from 80 countries.

Disability categories are in brackets.

Men's finals: 1500m (13); 5,000m (52); 10,000m (11); Long Jump (12, 37); Discus (33/34, 51); Javelin (13, 35/36/38, 42); Shot (11, 44, 55)

Women's finals: 400m (46); 5000m (54); Discus (57, 58); Javelin (35/36/38, 42/44/46); Shot (32/33/34, 37, 40)

Men's finals: 100m (35); 200m (13); 400m (37, 44, 52); 1500m (36, 37); 10,000m (12); 4x100m (42-45); 4x400m (35-38); Long Jump (42/44); Discus (42, 52); Javelin (40, 54, 57); Shot (32)

Women's finals: 100m (44, 52); 200m (35); 400m (13); 4x400m (53-54); Long Jump (12); Discus (54/55/56)

Men's finals: 100m (11, 35); 200m (38, 42, 46); 400m (53, 54); 800m (12, 13); 1500m (11, 46); 10,000m (54); 4x400m (11-13); Discus (11, 44, 53); Javelin (33/34/56, 55); Shot (37, 40, 55, 58); Pentathlon (12)

Women's finals: 100m (11, 37, 38, 42, 53, 54); 200m (12); 800m (12); Long Jump (13, 44); Discus (33/34/51/53); Javelin (57/58)

Men's finals: 100m (13, 37, 44); 200m (12, 35); 400m (11, 46); 800m (52); 1500m (54); 5,000m (12); 4x400m (42-46); Long Jump (11); High Jump (42); Discus (32, 38, 57, 58); Shot (42, 53/54); Javelin (52)

Women's finals: 100m (46); 200m (52); 800m (53, 54); Discus (35/36/38); Javelin (37, 54/55/56); Shot (12)

Men's finals: 100m (38, 52, 53, 54); 5,000m (11, 46); Long Jump (46); Discus (12, 13, 35, 37, 55, 56); Javelin (53); Shot (33, 34, 35); Pentathlon (44)

Women's finals: 100m (12, 13, 36); 200m (44, 53, 54); Discus (40); Javelin (33/34/52/53); Shot (38, 42/44, 58).

Men's finals: 200m (11); 400m (13); 800m (37); 4x100m (11-13, 35-38, 53-54); Long Jump (35); Club (32/51); Javelin (11, 12, 37, 44); Shot (38); Pentathlon (54-58)

Women's finals: 200m (37, 38, 46); 400m (12); 1500m (54); 4x100m (42-46); Long Jump (42); Shot (54, 55/56/57)

Men's finals: 100m (12, 42, 46); 400m (12, 36, 38); 800m (11, 46, 53, 54); 1500m (12, 52); 4x400m (53-54); Triple Jump (11); Shot (12, 52)

Women's finals: 200m (11, 13); 400m (53, 54); 1500m (12); Discus (12, 37, 42/44); Shot (35/36)

Men's finals: Marathon (11, 12, 46, 52, 54)

Women's finals: Marathon (54)

Disabled athletics lowdown

Athletics is one of the most popular Paralympic sports, drawing the largest number of competitors and spectators.

Around 1,100 athletes from 80 countries will take part in 192 competition events in Assen.

The World Championships is open to athletes in all disability classes and events include track, throwing, jumping, pentathlon and the marathon.

Some compete in wheelchairs, others with prostheses (artificial limbs), and visually impaired and blind athletes compete with the help of a guide.

Events and classification

The competition programme includes 30 different types of event: 18 for men and 12 for women but is broken down further into classes of disability.

Athletes with cerebral palsy are classified in categories 32 to 38, with 32-34 covering athletes competing in a wheelchair, and 35-38 in an upright standing position.

Wheelchair competitors with spinal cord injuries or other physical disabilities, except for cerebral palsy, are classified according to their mobility in classes 51 to 54 for track events and 51 to 58 for throwing events.

Athletes with vision impairment and blind athletes are classified as 11, 12 and 13, while amputees and other athletes competing in a standing position, are classified from 42 to 46.

Participants with dwarfism take part in only throwing events, in class 40.

Beginners' guide

The competition follows the rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which are valid for both Olympic and Paralympic athletes, but also valid are the regulations adopted by the Athletics Committee of the International Paralympics Committee (IPC).

The men and women's track events include: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, 10,000m, 4 x 100 m relay and 4 x 400 m relay.

The other events include high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw, javelin and club throw, pentathlon and marathon.