TOKYO 2020 QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will feature around 4,400 athletes who will compete in 539 medal events.

The final medal event programme and athlete quotas were approved by the IPC Governing Board on 4 September 2017 following the conclusion of a 10-month-long consultation exercise with international federations. Key highlights include:

• At least 1,756 slots for female athletes, the most ever, which represents a 17 per cent increase in 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 with 14 and 6 medal events respectively

• Canoe, which made its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 with six medal events, will have nine medal events due to the inclusion of three va’a class events

• As part of the IPC’s drive to increase opportunities for athletes with high support needs, the sport of boccia has been allocated 116 athlete slots, 8 more than Rio 2016

• Compared to Rio 2016 14 sports will feature the same number of athletes. The sports of 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.

Tokyo 2020 Qualification Criteria