The 38-year-old Kunieda, a winner of 28 Grand Slam titles and three Paralympic gold medals in the men’s singles, retired while at the top of the world rankings.
He won his third Paralympic gold in Tokyo in 2021 and completed his career Grand Slam by winning Wimbledon last year. He also won 22 Grand Slam doubles titles.
Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, considered one of the greatest wheelchair tennis players of all time, said Sunday he has hung up his racket.
The 38-year-old Kunieda, a winner of 28 Grand Slam titles and three Paralympic gold medals in the men’s singles, retired while at the top of the world rankings.
According to a 2021 survey conducted by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (SSF), Japan only has about 150 sports facilities used either exclusively or preferentially by people with a disability. This is a very small figure when set against the about 9.64 million people across the country who have a disability.
The first football stadium dedicated for people with disabilities in the prefecture will be built on the site of a factory being constructed by an industrial robot manufacturer in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City.
The Wheelchair Softball World Series is taking over Crestwood for the next three days, bringing together 21 teams including one from Japan. The Wheelchair Softball World Championships will be held in Osaka in November.
Lack of accessibility in sports facilities and infrastructure limits the involvement of individuals with disabilities in sports, making it tough for athletes to find a safe and supporting environment to jump-start their sporting careers at an early age.
Toshiyuki Saito, the head of the All Nippon ID Sport Association, also known as ANISA, is urging the IPC to allow competitors with intellectual impairments to contest a broader range of sports to give them more visibility at the Paralympics.
“They should increase the number of intellectual disability Paralympic medal events in order to give athletes with intellectual disability a chance to inspire the world,” Saito said.
The Japan Para Alpine Skiing Championships for people with disabilities were held on February 1st at the Sugadaira Kogen Pine Beak Ski Resort in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, where two super giant slalom races were held.
Japanese Paralympic medalist Miki Matheson is among the 25 candidates for members at large of the International Paralympic Committee’s Governing Board, the IPC said Monday.
The Nippon Foundation Para-Arena, a dedicated gymnasium that opened in 2018 as a facility to strengthen athletes with disabilities in preparation for Tokyo hosting the Paralympics, is expected to end operations by the end of fiscal year 2021.
Barrier Free Japan