The number of women athletes at this year's IPC 2015 World Championships has reached an all-time high, organisers revealed Thursday.
A total of 445 women will compete at this year's championships, which began in earnest in Qatar on Thursday, a jump of almost 40 percent on the previous tournament held just two years ago in Lyon, where 321 female athletes took part.
"That's 39 percent more than two years ago," said Craig Spence, the IPC communications & media officer, at a press conference.
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IPC figures also show that at the 2011 championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, 315 women took part.
Meanwhile, male numbers have also increased, but by a smaller margin.
A total of 837 men will compete over the 10 days of competition, up from 735 in France, an increase of just under 14 percent.
Overall, there are 1,282 athletes competing in Doha. In Lyon, that figure stood at 1,056.