With nearly one year to go until the Opening Ceremony, the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has published the full sports competition schedule for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

More than 500 gold medals will be up for grabs during 11 days of competition, as nearly 4,200 athletes from 150 countries will compete in 20 different sports starting on 29 August 2012.

The sports competition schedule, which can be viewed at http://www.tickets.london2012.com/schedule.html#fullschedule, has been approved by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), relevant international sporting federations and the Host City stakeholders for every venue.

Sir Philip Craven, the IPC President, said: "The London 2012 Paralympic Games will quite simply be `Sport Like Never Before'. Our elite athletes will captivate billions around the world, will inspire millions and ultimately lead to societal change and help alter perceptions of what can be achieved by a person with an impairment.

"The Games are heading back to their spiritual home and with 4,200 athletes from 150 countries, will be the biggest and potentially the best Paralympic Games yet. These are a Games not to be missed and the announcement of the competition schedule, together with International Paralympic Day on 8 September, act as two steps closer to the Opening Ceremony of the Games next year."

The sports competition schedule is being released exactly two weeks before London 2012 Paralympic Games tickets go on sale on 9 September until 26 September 2011. Around 2 million tickets will be available to the public, and so far more than one million people have registered their interest online.

Ticket prices for the sporting events, which will take place across 14 different venues, start at £10 for adults and £5 for those who are under 16 or over 60. Tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies start at £20.12, with the top-end price at £500 for the Opening Ceremony.

More than 50 percent of tickets will be priced at just £10, while 95 percent of tickets will be priced at £50 or less.

On 8 September, the day prior to tickets going on sale, International Paralympic Day will take place in Trafalgar Square in London, showcasing athletes in action and allowing the public a first-hand look at what the Paralympic Games will be all about.

Now, to help your ticket choice, the IPC has selected the 12 hottest events for 2012.

1. Swimming - women's 100m Butterfly final S9 (30 August):
South Africa's 10-time Paralympic champion Natalie du Toit is targeting seven gold medals in London, and this could be her first final. She will face stiff competition from the newly crowned European Champion, Spain's 19-year-old swimming sensation, Sarai Gascon.

2. Para-Cycling - Individual Pursuit finals C2 (31 August):
Five-time Paralympic champion, Jiri Jezek of the Czech Republic, will look to add to the medal haul he has accumulated over the last four Paralympic Games in the Velodrome. Expect a number of the British cyclists to put up strong challenges against him.

3. Shooting - 10m Air Rifle Standing final R1 (31 August):
In Paralympic Games history, there is only one other athlete who has won more gold medals than Sweden's 45-year-old Jonas Jacobsson. This is his first event in London, his ninth Paralympic Games, and he will be looking to add to his collection of 16 gold, two silver and nine bronze medals.

4. Equestrian - Individual Championship Test: Grade lb (1 September):
Great Britain's Lee Pearson has won nine Paralympic golds during an illustrious career that has included showings at three Paralympic Games. This event is his first chance of securing individual gold at Greenwich Park.

5. Athletics - men's 5,000m final T54 (2 September):
The T54 wheelchair racing class is the most competitive in Paralympic Sport, and this will be the first clash between Great Britain's hometown hero David Weir and his Swiss rival Marcel Hug. Weir is the world champion at this distance, however, Hug is the world-record holder for all distances from 800m through to 10,000m. Also, expect Australia's Kurt Fearnely to shine here.

6. Rowing - finals in all events (2 September):
Great Britain dominated the Rowing competition in the sport's Paralympic debut in 2008, and it could perform a clean sweep in London. Former rugby player Tom Aggar is the reigning Paralympic champion and three-time world champion, and looks like a safe bet for gold.

7. Powerlifting - men's +100kg final (5 September):
Could you imagine bench pressing two baby elephants? Imagine no longer and expect amazing scenes as the world's strongest Paralympians go head-to-head at the Excel. Iran's Siamand Rahman will start as the favourite for gold after lifting a world record 290kg last December - almost three times his body weight.

8. Athletics - men's 100m final T44 (6 September):
The race everyone wants to see - and rightly so. South Africa's `Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius tasted defeat for the first time in seven years in January when the USA's Jerome Singleton took his world title. It will be a thrilling race, as just 0.09 seconds separated the top four finishers at the World Championships.

9. Wheelchair Tennis - women's singles gold-medal match (7 September):
The Netherlands' Esther Vergeer has not lost in her last 420 matches, dating back to January 2003. At the purpose-built Eton Maor, a capacity crowd of 10,500 is expected to cheer her in her bid to win her fourth consecutive Paralympic singles gold.

10. Wheelchair Basketball - men's gold-medal match (8 September):
A ticket to any Wheelchair Basketball match is always a must at any Paralympics due to sensational skill and dynamism on show. The final is always a classic match and expect no different in London, as Australia looks to retain the gold it won in Beijing.

11. Football 5-a-Side gold-medal match (8 September):
`It's just like watching Brazil!' It certainly will be, as the best visually impaired footballers in the world display some astonishingly silky skills and amazing footwork. Brazil will be in search of its third consecutive Paralympic gold.

12. Wheelchair Rugby gold-medal match (9 September):
There is no more brutal Paralympic Sport than this. Expect big hits, crushing tackles hard enough to bend metal and tries galore as the USA, unbeaten in every major event since the 2006 World Championships, goes in search of another Paralympic gold.

To see the full sports competition schedule, please visit: http://www.tickets.london2012.com/schedule.html#fullschedule

-Ends-

Notes to the Editor:
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 170 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

For further information, please contact Craig Spence, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager on e-mail: craig.spence@paralympic.org or call +49-228-2097-230. Alternatively, please visit www.paralympic.org or www.ParalympicSport.TV