The 2020 Summer Paralympics are an upcoming major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee. Scheduled as the 16th Summer Paralympic Games, they are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan between 24 August and 5 September 2021.
The British team seeking to build on their incredible success in Rio four years ago when they came home with 64 golds and 147 medals in total, as well as second place in the medal table.
The GB Paralympic squad makes up 228 of the 4400+ athletes taking part and has a target of 100 to 140 medals, five years after its success in Rio, but beating that 147 haul would be amazing.
With almost 100 nations taking part and Japan fielding a very strong team in there home games, things could look very different then back in Rio 2016 where they only managed a lowly 64th spot but as you can see from the top 10 nations from Brazil, USA Could only manage 4th and China running away with things in 1st this will be exciting, but with Covid-19 set to play part again it will be a quieter Games but hopefully emulate the success of the resent Summer Olympics.
Some Names To Look Out For
Natalia Partyka
The name Polish table tennis fans associate with the word ‘Champion’ – Natalia Partyka has been at the top of the game for 20 years. Competing in both the para and able-bodied disciplines, the 31-year-old is an eight-time Paralympic Games medallist, making her debut at Sydney 2000 aged 11, becoming the youngest Paralympian in history. World no.1 in the women’s class 10 category, Partyka won a record fourth consecutive singles gold medal at Rio 2016 – will she make it five in a row in Tokyo next year?
Rob Davies
Almost 15 years ago in September 2005, Rob Davies broke his neck playing semi-professional rugby for Brecon. At first it was thought he would be paralysed from the neck down. Gradually recovering and feeling the need to have sport back in his life, his first reaction was not to play table tennis because he thought it was a “game for sissies”. He admits to being difficult when table tennis was suggested! How the tables turned when he eventually went all the way to win the men’s singles class 1 table tennis gold medal at Rio 2016!
Chuck Aoki
Aoki, one of the world’s premier wheelchair rugby players, is seeking to win the gold medal that eluded his team in 2012 and 2016. Aoki was born with a rare genetic disorder that inhibited feeling in his hands and feet. He grew up playing wheelchair basketball, but in high school he switched to wheelchair rugby after watching the seminal documentary “Murderball,” which captured the bone-rattling intensity of quadriplegic rugby. Three years after making the national team, Aoki led the U.S. to a bronze medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. Two years later, he was named the tournament’s best player at the 2014 World Championships. In 2016, he helped the U.S. to a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics. During his first-ever game, a burly opponent knocked the 5′ 2″, 155-pound Aoki into nearby bleachers, flipping him onto his head. Naturally, Aoki said, “I decided it was the sport for me.”
David Brown
Paralympic veteran Brown is known as the fastest blind man in the world. In 2014, he broke the men’s 100m world record in the T11 classification (for athletes who are completely blind) a record that he still holds entering the Tokyo Paralympic Games. At the Rio Paralympics, he won gold in the 100m (T11) with his guide Jerome Avery. The duo refers to themselves as “Team BrAvery.” The Missouri native says he was inspired to compete at the Paralympics after winning an essay contest to attend the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
Amy Truesdale
Double world champion Truesdale is relishing her big Paralympic chance after para-taekwondo finally won a place on the programme. Despite dominating for a number of years, she missed out on a medal at this year’s World Championships, making her even hungrier to succeed in Tokyo.
Team GB Wheelchair Basketball
For all their profile on the global stage the GB team have flattered to deceive at previous Games – finishing out of the medals in London, and with a relatively disappointing bronze in Rio. Provided they come through next month’s continental qualifiers, they are in good shape to go for gold.
Events
There are currently 28 Paralympic sports sanctioned by the IPC: 22 summer and six winter. The two newest sports to be given Paralympic status are badminton and taekwondo, which will both make their debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Best Paralympic Preview, Olympic sports
Image Credit: insidesport.co