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.
The share of Japanese people with disabilities aged 7 to 19 who routinely engage in sports fell to 27.9 pct in 2020 from 30.7 pct in 2013.
Seiko Hashimoto said the highest priority was given to ensuring they were delivered in a “safe and secure” manner by putting anti-coronavirus measures in place. She refrained, however, from declaring the event a success with an eye on the approaching Paralympics.
Tomoya Ito, a Paralympic athlete who will represent Japan in para athletics, also known as track and field, will use a new racing wheelchair incorporating Formula One technology.
The NHK drama ‘Super Speed Para Hero Gundeen’ depicts a wheelchair using para athlete who is also a superhero.
The World Grand Prix, an international five-player soccer tournament for the visually impaired, opened at Tennozu Park in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo on May 30th, where the Japanese men’s team beat France 1-0. Japan’s team has qualified to participate in the Tokyo Paralympics.
Barrier Free Japan