“I was hugely disappointed following my injury prior to Beijing and am yet to come to terms with it,” said Crates, who will compete in Manchester in the T46 800m. “I’m not looking ahead to London just yet as I like to take my career year by year. Manchester is a good focus for me and this year’s BT Paralympic World Cup will be my fourth year. I love competing in front of a home crowd and it’s a great competition for the GB athletes to be involved with in the build up to 2012.”

Weir, who finished second in the recent London Marathon and Woods, who finished sixth in the women’s race, will compete along with: Kieron Murphy (Sutton Coldfield), Thomas Green (Milton Keynes), Richard Schabel (East Grinstead), Graeme Ballard (Chorley), Benjamin Rushgrove (Bath), Lee Hunter (Redcar), Michael Churm (Manchester), John McFall (Cardiff), Ian Jones (Manchester), Daniel West (Carrington), Nathan Stephens (Bridgend), Daniel Nobbs (Norwich), Robin Womack (Southend), Brian Alldis (Bury St Edmunds), Libby Clegg (Newcastleton), Katrina Hart (Redditch), Jenny McLoughlin (Stockport) Hazel Simpson (Sunderland) Sophie Hancock (Loughborough), Kim Minett (Fareham), Kate Arnold (Newport), Victoria Silk (Folkestone) and Pippa Dale (Cambridgeshire).

Local Manchester athlete Ian Jones will again take on South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius in the T44 100m as well as the 400m, which is included in the event programme for the first time.

“The BT Paralympic World Cup is the biggest event of the year for me, especially this year, it’s a major part of my preparation and it will be again next year too,” said Jones. He continued, “I’m feeling really prepared for this year’s competition at the BT Paralympic World Cup. I’m running well and I’m pulling out some good times. Oscar unfortunately had an accident so probably hasn’t trained as much as he’d have liked so not sure what form he’s in but I know I’m in good form so hopefully I can do well again.”

The confirmed GB athletes are:

Kieron Murphy F32/51 Club
Thomas Green F32/51 Club
Richard Schabel F32/51 Club
Graeme Ballard T36 100m/200m
Benjamin Rushgrove T36 100m/200m
Lee Hunter T36 100m/200m
Michael Churm T37 100m/200m
John McFall T42 100m/200m
Ian Jones T44 100m/400m
Daniel West T54-57 Shot
Nathan Stephens T54-57 Shot
Daniel Nobbs T54-57 Shot
Robin Womack T54-57 Shot
David Weir T54 800m/1500m
Danny Crates T46 800m
Brian Alldis T54 1500m
Libby Clegg T12 100m/200m
Katrina Hart T36/37 100m/200m
Jenny McLoughlin T36/37 100m/200m
Hazel Simpson T36/37 100m/200m
Sophie Hancock F40 Shot/Discus
Kim Minett F40 Shot
Kate Arnold T46 100m/200mt
Shelly Woods T54 800m/1500m
Victoria Silk F40 Shot/Discus
Pippa Dale F40 Discus

The BT Paralympic World Cup is the first major multi-sport elite disability event to be staged since the Beijing Paralympic Games and major international stars and a strong British contingent are expected. The competition will be staged in Manchester from 20-25 May, with over 400 competitors from over 31 countries scheduled to compete.

Athletes will compete in four sports at world class competition venues in Manchester: wheelchair basketball and athletics hosted at the Manchester Regional Arena, swimming at the Manchester Aquatics Centre and track cycling at the Manchester Velodrome.

Tickets for the BT Paralympic World Cup are now on sale and can be purchased via the event website: www.btparalympicworldcup.com or the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk or by calling 0844 847 1622. Tickets cost £3 per session.

BT is the title sponsor of the Paralympic World Cup; the sponsorship runs up to and includes the 2012 BT Paralympic World Cup. The official 2009 stakeholders of the BT Paralympic World Cup are the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Manchester City Council and UK Sport. The BT Paralympic World Cup is held in association with ParalympicsGB and sanctioned by the IPC, the UCI and the IWBF.

The BBC, the official televised partner to the event, will broadcast live from the Manchester Aquatics Centre on Monday 25 May 2009 on BBC Television.