On September 7, 2013, the 125th General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) designated Tokyo as the venue for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will return to the Japanese capital 57 years later. On that occasion, 378 athletes with disabilities, from 21 countries, competed in nine sports.
According to the official website of the Paralympics, as a result of the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus, the 2020 Paralympic event will be held between August 24 and September 5, 2021 and is expected to bring together 4,400 athletes with physical, intellectual, visual disability or cerebral palsy, reached at least 160 countries.
During 12 days of competition, 539 events with medals -272 men, 227 women and 40 mixed- of the 22 sports that are part of the competition program will be held: athletics, wheelchair basketball, boccia, cycling, wheelchair fencing. wheels, 5-a-side football, goalball, judo, weightlifting, horse riding, swimming, canoeing, rowing, wheelchair rugby, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, archery, olympic shooting, triathlon and sitting volleyball, plus the premiere in Badminton and Taekwondo Games.
The Paralympic Games will have 21 competition venues distributed mainly in two areas of the city: Heritage (7), which contains some facilities used in 1964, and Bahia (11), with a more avant-garde urban design. Outside of these two areas, shooting (at the Asaka Shooting Range), road cycling (at the Fuji International Circuit) and track cycling (at the Izu Velodrome) will be contested.
The opening and closing ceremonies, to be held on August 24 and September 5, will take place at the Olympic Stadium assigned to athletics and located at Heritage. The other non-sports facilities will be the Paralympic Family hotel and the International Press and Broadcasting Center, both in the Bay, and the Paralympic Village, strategically located at the intersection of the two areas.
Someity, the Paralympic mascot, is a pink cartoon inspired by the Japanese cherry blossom, one of the most deeply rooted elements in the country’s traditional culture. Someity has superpowers and its name mixes the Japanese term Someiyoshino (a variety of flower) with the English expression so mighty (so powerful).
Some facts about the Tokyo Paralympic Games
Competition days: 12 (from August 25 to September 5).
Participating countries: At least 160.
Number of athletes: 4 400 (2 318 men, 1 782 women and 300 mixed places).
Medal events: 539 (272 male, 227 female and 40 mixed).
Types of disability: physical, intellectual, visual, cerebral palsy
Number of sports: 22
New sports: 2 (badminton and taekwondo)
Competition areas: Bay Area (11 venues), Heritage area (7) and three venues outside the metropolitan area
Sports facilities: 21
