The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will feature 4,400 athletes who will compete in 537 medal events.
The final medal event program and athlete quotas were approved by the IPC Governing Board on September 4. Key highlights include:
• At least 1,756 slots for female athletes, the most ever, which represents a 17 percent increase over the number of women that took part in London 2012. This number is likely to increase further due to the allocation of 294 gender-free slots.
• Badminton and taekwondo, the two sports that will make their Paralympic debut in Tokyo, have been awarded 14 and six medal events, respectively.
• Canoe, which made its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 with six medal events, will have nine medal events.
• As part of the IPC’s drive to increase opportunities for athletes with high support needs, boccia has been allocated 116 athlete slots, eight more than Rio 2016.
• Compared to Rio 2016, 14 sports will feature the same number of athletes. Boccia, canoe, judo, shooting, table tennis, triathlon, and wheelchair fencing all have additional slots.
• Four sports–canoe, shooting, table tennis, and wheelchair fencing–have more medal events than Rio 2016 while athletics and swimming have less events.
The final list of events for athletics, swimming, and triathlon will be published at later dates.
To view a full breakdown of the events, visit www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/170904123551807_2017_09_04+Tokyo+2020+detailed+programme+and+quotas+by+sport.pdf.
“I am particularly pleased that Tokyo 2020 will feature more women than ever before and an increase in athletes with high support needs,” said Chelsey Gotell, chair of the IPC Athletes’ Council. “This is a great step in the right direction, and the international federations and IPC should be congratulated for this move.”
For more information, visit www.paralympic.org, www.youtube.com/Paralympics, www.facebook.com/Paralympics, and www.twitter.com/paralympics.