The South Korean alpine town of Pyeongchang will start hosting international events for disabled athletes in its preparation for the next Winter Paralympic Games, officials said on Monday.

The organizing committee for the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang said the host city will be staging up to two international competitions in each of the Winter Paralympic sports a year as part of its “Actualizing the Dream Project.”

Alpine skiing, para-snowboarding, ice-sledge hockey, biathlon, cross-country skiing and wheelchair curling are the Winter Paralympic sports.

Pyeongchang will work closely with the Korean Paralympic Committee and the IPC to organize such events, officials added. Pyeongchang’s calendar will include the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup and the IPC Para-Snowboard World Cup during the 2016-2017 season, the 2016 Four Nations Ice Sledge Hockey Tournament and the 2017 World Wheelchair Curling Championships.

The $17.5 million ADP is aimed at promoting winter sports at the Paralympics, raising awareness of disabilities and ensuring inclusion of people with disabilities, the organizers explained.

Pyeongchang will host both the Winter Olympics for able-bodied athletes and the Winter Paralympics in 2018, the first time these Winter Games will come to Korea.

Officials said hosting international events is designed to give homegrown athletes valuable competing experience and also to test the host’s organizational skills ahead of the Paralympics. (Yonhap)