Junichi Kawai
Chairman of the Japan Paralympic Committee
Japan National Team Delegation Chief for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

1. Competition Summary

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which was postponed for one year due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection rate, was attended by 162 countries and regions (including the refugee team and the Russian Paralympic Committee), and, in total, 4403 Paralympians participated. These Olympians gathered for 13 days from August 24th to September 5th, 2021 at various venues in Tokyo, Chiba, and Shizuoka prefectures with highly competitive games occurring at each site. Badminton and Taekwondo were adopted for the first time, and there were 22 competitions, with 539 medal events. The increase in the proportion of women's events and the increase in mixed-gender events were also major trends.

These Paralympic Games in Tokyo were only the second summer Games to be held in the same city for the first time in history and have attracted a lot of attention from overseas since this decision was made. In particular, "diversity and harmony" and "accessibility" were the themes that attracted attention.

2. Team composition

In June of 2019, the team composition was decided by the Japan Paralympic Committee (henceforth JPC) based on its organizational policy and selection criteria. This originated from the recommendation of the National Sports Federation (henceforth NF), and through a health check performed by a medical committee, and a competitiveness examination given by a reinforcement committee.

This became the largest athletic group in Japanese history. It consisted of 463 people including 254 athletes, 23 guides, 164 coach staff members, and 22 headquarters staff. The average age was 32 years old, which is even younger than the previous Games. The percentage of female athletes also exceeded 40%. Entry was made in all 22 competitions held, and athletes with motor function disabilities, visual disabilities, and intellectual disabilities participated. Among them, there were competitions that were adopted for the first time as well as competitions that appeared for the first time in the host country. Thus, the number of first-time competitors exceeded 60%.

3. Team results

We were able to win medals in 12 of the 22 competitions, a total of 51 medals -13 Gold, 15 Silver, and 23 Bronze – and 107 prizes. It is an increase to a ranking of 11th from the previous gold medal mark of 0, which carried a ranking of 56^th.

The men's team of wheelchair basketball won the silver medal. This was the first time a Japanese team won a medal in a summer men's team sport. The wheelchair rugby team also won medals for the second consecutive Games, which was also the first time in history. In addition, Miyuki Yamada, a swimmer, became the youngest medalist (14 years old) in Japanese history, as well as Keiko Sugiura, a bicyclist, became the oldest gold medalist. The number of athletes who won multiple medals (multi-medalists) also increased from the previous Games. Takayuki Suzuki, a swimmer, won five medals, the highest number of medals for a single individual within the team for these Games.

4. Impact of a 1-year postponement

Since all activities were stopped during the first state of emergency declaration from April 2020, athletes searched for training methods that they could perform at home and continued with “trial and error” while connecting with coaches and trainers online. After the declaration was lifted, guidelines were created for resuming sports activities. This was done in collaboration with the Japan Sport Council (henceforth "JSC") and we have been working on infectious disease countermeasures based on these guidelines. Also, by conducting health checks and thorough health monitoring measures the High-Performance Sports Center (henceforth "HPSC"), has been able to hold training camps. As a result, basic physical strength was improved, injuries were completely healed, basic skills were acquired, and basic tactics were thoroughly implemented. This greatly contributed to the improvement of competitiveness. It is thought that because of this, young people were able to improve their abilities.

On the other hand, since there were hardly any international competitions, the opportunity for proper classification of eligible athletes was lost. Just before the games began, however, classification was carried out in 8 competitions.

5. International Exchange

As members of the JPC, in early August 2021, we were able to adjust the visiting schedule by sending a message expressing welcome and gratitude to the National Paralympic Committees of each country (henceforth "NPC"). As a result, we at the JPC were able to meet with NPC officers, team leaders, etc. from about 50 countries. We also felt that it was necessary to select NPC members that seem to have a great need to maintain constant cooperation and seek strategic partnerships. Above all, we would like to emphasize the importance of relationships with the countries hosting the Paralympics (summer and winter), the countries that have signed cooperation agreements, and other friendly countries.

6. IPC Athletic Committee Election

At the 2019 JPC Athletes Committee General Assembly, it was confirmed that the JPC would coordinate to put forward a Japanese candidate for the IPC Athletes Committee elections to be held in Japan. In March 2021 we received a recommendation from the NF athletic committee, and after following the recommendation of the JPC athletic committee’s chairman, a swimmer by the name of Takayuki Suzuki ran as a candidate. A video was made of the decision of Suzuki’s candidacy and tried to spread the video to other athletes through the JPC athletic committee. We received information from the JOC based on the results of winning the IOC Athletic Committee election and carried out preparations. We also hung posters in the residential building and used SNS calling for voting in the dining hall during the Game. The result was that Takayuki was able to win the election for the first time in Japan.

7. Achievements and Problems

(1) Tokyo 2020 Special Reinforcement Committee

In terms of competition, the Tokyo 2020 Special Reinforcement Committee (henceforth "Special Reinforcement Committee") was established in 2017, and not only the NF, but also the JPC has introduced a mechanism to directly support each athlete. We feel that the results have been demonstrated. Based on the review of the Special Reinforcement Committee, it seems necessary to use this mechanism in the future.

(2) Maximizing the effect of having the Game in your own country by reinforcing cooperation with HPSC

We were able to proceed with full application of each of the HPSC and the two “out-of-village” support bases by understanding their locations and their functional characteristics. We were also able to use the support from the medical field and their accumulation of knowledge pertaining to ways of coping with the heat. However, there were some areas where the overall management became complicated due to the increased movement of the staff, including the NF staff. In addition, there were times when it was difficult to allocate personnel and the handling and transportation of test specimens.

(3) Collaborative consulting

The NF created a strategy of reinforcement planning with an eye on eight years after the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Every year a collaborative team, coupled with the JSC confirmed their progress and proceeded while making corrections. By doing so, we believe that the awareness of promoting reinforcement while going through the PDCA cycle of planning, execution, confirmation, and improvement has taken root. Through such efforts, the gap between the goal and the actual results has become smaller than before the previous Games. Thus, it has become possible to set appropriate goals. It is important to evaluate and verify the results and efforts of this Games. From this summary, it has become important not only to strengthen but also to build a consistent athletic training pathway from the stage of discovery and training. In addition, it is necessary to implement reinforcement activities based on the formulation of a long-term strategic plan with an eye on 2032, as well as to establish a system pertaining to the standard of responsibility (compliance with the governance code) for that purpose.

As the budget for reinforcement activities increased year by year, we were able to enhance training camps and overseas tours. In addition, based on the full-time coaching system, the fact that we were able to assign staff who are dedicated to strengthening has greatly contributed to improving competitiveness. These were also implemented under the strategic reinforcement plan.

(4) Enhancement of public relations activities

Since the Game was held in our own country, the media, for a large part, cooperated with the coverage. Not only the activities of Japanese athletes but also the activities and backgrounds of overseas athletes. There were many articles that depicted the value of the Paralympics. Since more people are using SNS communication, the JPC also actively tried to forward information using this method. The slogan "WE CAN PUSH PAST BEYOND OUR LIMITS!!", which was used by Paralympic Team Japan was announced in February 2020, was also used as a # (hashtag) with some success.

8. How it will be done in the future

Based on the 5-year review of the NF and through the consultation of the collaborative team, it is necessary to accelerate preparations for the Paris Paralympics, which will occur in only 3 years’ time. We are required to build an athletic training pathway to discover, train, and strengthen athletes using JPC strategic planning, as a compass, which was positioned in the JPSA vision of 2030. This was announced in March 2021. It is also necessary to disclose the criteria for becoming a Japanese national team athlete and the stages up to that point so that all concerned parties such as NF officers, staff, managers, coaches, and athletes can understand.

There has been a tendency since the 2008 Beijing Games for the host country of the Paralympics to increase their acquisition of medals in the Games. It is thought that the opportunity to hold the Games in one’s own country establishes domestic discovery, training, and strengthening systems and effects of their utilization have been apparent. In order for Japan to continue to achieve good results even after the upcoming Paris Games, it is important to expand horizontally by sharing results among the NF.

There were athletes, coaches, staff, etc. who felt, more than usual, heavy pressure to win medals because it was held in their own country. The more support one has, the stronger the tendency. It is necessary to enhance mental support.

9. Legacy creation

After the decision to hold the Tokyo Paralympics was made, various laws and systems related to barrier-free zones and accessibility for individuals with disabilities have changed significantly. In addition, the "WE THE 15" campaign started by IPC just before the Games that lasts until 2030 had a high degree of compatibility with "diversity and harmony," which was one of the concepts of the Games and was an opportunity for many people to recognize this fact. Above all, since many people only know the words “Paralympic Games,” we think that because these people were able to watch the competitions through the various broadcasts, it provided some kind of emotional awareness. We also think that this will have a memorable impact on the hearts and minds of people.

In Conclusion

Immediately before the Games, the number of new positives for the new strain of coronavirus virus in Japan was on the rise. In an opinion poll, about 60% of the respondents wanted to postpone or cancel the Games altogether.  However, with the success of many athletes and the fact that NHK broadcasted for 540 hours after the Paralympic Games about 70% of the respondents said that it was a good thing to have held the event. The representatives of the countries, whom I met, were delighted that Japan went ahead and held the Games. They were also happy with the organizing committee, the responses of the volunteers, the delicious food, and the overall cleanliness of everything. The immense gratitude to Japan was also mentioned. This is an evaluation of Japan from other countries. It was a very difficult situation but being able to safely hold these Games was quite a significant achievement. It was very disappointing that there were no spectators and that the school cooperation watching programs were only partially implemented, but many people could watch the Paralympics through TV and the Internet. It reaffirmed the potential that mankind can produce. As a result, the terms diversity and symbiotic society have been better understood than ever before. We were able to take a big step toward the realization of a vibrant symbiotic society in which everyone can live in their own way. I am convinced that this footprint will be an opportunity to change society for the better. We are determined to continue moving forward without stopping.

Table 1 Medal rankings

* The rankings of acquisition of gold medals. Japan has risen significantly from 56th place in the previous Rio Games. In the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and the 2004 Summer games in Athens, Japan was 10th in the gold medal rankings.

Table 2 NPC results after the event

* Numbers show total medals. With the Games being held in the home country, the number of medals has increased dramatically, and a tendency can be seen in later Games that the increase in medals is maintained. However, Russia did not participate in the Rio Games due to a doping violation, but in the Tokyo Games, participation as an RPC was accepted and a total of 118 medals were won, so the total number of medals for China and the United Kingdom decreased.