The 14^th edition of this event in Tunis will be particularly crucial for those seeking qualification for this summer’s scheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which are due to run from August 24 to September 5.

Five Tunisian global champions will raise home hopes of gold over the coming days - Raoua Tlili, who has four Paralympic golds in shot and discus in F40 and F41 categories, wheelchair racers Walid Ktila and Yassine Gharbi, sprinter Mohamed Farhat Chida and middle distance runner Abbès Saidi.

Nigeria’s Flora Ugwunwa, the Rio 2016 Paralympic javelin champion and world silver medallist in the F54 category, will be another major draw for the competition.

"Tunisia is among the top five countries in results", a buoyant Tlili told World Para Athletics.

After testing negative for COVID-19, the athletes were met at Carthage Airport by the Tunisian Paralympic Committee and taken on buses directly to their hotels before being tested again a day later.

The competition at the Olympic Stadium in Radès marks a precious opportunity to post Tokyo qualifying performances given the reduced nature of this year’s Grand Prix programme.

The meeting planned for São Paulo has been cancelled, while one in Beijing - which had been scheduled to run from April 23 to 25 - has been postponed, with no new dates identified.

After Tunis the Italian Open Championships are set to be held from April 16 to 18.

A meeting in Paris is scheduled from May 5 to 7, with the Para-athletics meet in Swiss venue Nottwil currently scheduled to conclude the season from May 14 to 16.

The 2021 European Championships, in Bydgoszcz in Poland, are timetabled for June 1 to 5 and stand as another important event in the run-up to Tokyo 2020.