With two years to go before the opening of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, the Tokyo metropolitan government has stepped up its efforts to promote para-sports, such as by jointly organizing an international tournament held in the city and hosting events through which children could experience para-sports.
Earlier in the year, the metropolitan government became a co-organizer of the World Challenge Cup, an international men's wheelchair basketball tournament held in June at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Chofu, Tokyo. The three-day tournament attracted about 13,000 spectators, about twice as many as last year.
Miharu Taniguchi, a sixth grader at an elementary school in Chofu, watched Japan's game against Germany. "The game was so exciting -- I enjoyed it. I need to go watch the Paralympics to cheer them on," the 11-year-old said.
Ahead of the tournament, the metropolitan government teamed up with sponsor firms and local governments to distribute pamphlets about wheelchair basketball, urging elementary and junior high school students to attend the tournament. It also hosted events at elementary and junior high schools near the venue through which children could experience the sport.
The metropolitan government plans to similarly promote four other para-sports, including badminton and judo, in fiscal 2018.
"The number of spectators differs depending on awareness for a sport. We'd like to increase the number of fans through a trial-and-error approach," a metropolitan government official in charge of the Paralympics said.
Saturday marked two years before the opening of the Tokyo Paralympics. The event will be held from Aug. 25, 2020 to Sept. 6, and will feature 540 competitions spanning 22 sports at venues in Tokyo and elsewhere.
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