The Tokyo Paralympics, which was postponed due to the effects of the new coronavirus, is scheduled to start in August.
At the Paralympics, athletes who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill if infected due to a disability also participate, so securing a competitive environment through unique infection control is the most important issue.
The Tokyo Paralympics will be held for 13 days from August 24, 16 days after the closing of the Olympic Games, and 22 competitions and 539 events will be held with the largest number of participants in history, about 4,400 people.
In the Paralympics, athletes who have weak respiratory function due to disabilities and are at high risk of becoming severe will participate, and many spectators also have disabilities, and if there is a caregiver, "denseness" is likely to occur. It has been pointed out.
For this reason, the international organizations of each competition and the IPC = International Paralympic Committee are studying unique infection countermeasures based on obstacles and the characteristics of the competition, such as how to keep the distance between athletes, measures against flying, and disinfection of tools. ..
In addition, due to the worsening global infection situation, international parasports competitions have been canceled, which is affecting the strengthening of athletes aiming for medals and the selection of representatives.
The selection of representatives is scheduled to begin in earnest if the tournament can be resumed, and infection control measures are expected to be verified through test tournaments that will resume after April.
The biggest challenge is to secure a safe competition environment by strengthening and selecting athletes for the tournament and implementing measures to protect athletes and spectators from infection.