From 8 to 20 August, the European Championships of ten different parasports will be organized simultaneously in one city for the first time. These are para-cycling, wheelchair tennis, boccia, goalball, wheelchair basketball, judo, para-shooting and para-badminton. The athletes compete not only for the medals, but also for qualification points or direct qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Straathof competed as a skater at the 1994 Winter Olympics and as a track cyclist at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In addition, he became Paralympic champion in the 4-kilometer pursuit (tandem, cycling) as a pilot of parasporter Jan Mulder in 2000.
The main location for the event is Ahoy. In addition, well-known places in Rotterdam such as the Kop van Zuid and the Schouwburgplein serve as locations for the finals of para-shooting and wheelchair tennis, respectively.
