Now that the hype of the Olympics has passed and the chatter has toned down, it isn’t yet time to forget about international sports. The Paralympics are right around the corner and they run from August 24 to September 5. If you’re not sure where to begin and want more information, this is the place for you! This guide has everything…each Paralympic sport, the dates that they run, an interesting fact about the event, and background information on some key athletes.
Archery – Aug. 27-31, Sept. 2-4: There are 140 archers competing in this event which has been featured at every Paralympics since it’s debut.
Athletes to watch:
Phoebe Patterson Pine from Gloucestershire, England is a 23 year old archer competing for Great Britain. She competes in the Compound Women Open category (to learn more about how categories and classifications work in the Paralympics, check out this link) and holds three world records. She has spina bifida and was only added to the British Paralympic team in July, along with another archer, Victoria Rumary.
Marcel Pavlik represents Slovakia in the Compound Men Open category, in which he is ranked first in the world. This ranking puts him in contention for a medal, even though he has taken several years off from the sport, without even touching a bow, to pursue handcycling.
David Drahoninsky of the Czech Republic won a gold medal at Beijing 2008, silver medal at London 2012 and a silver and bronze at Rio 2016. He got his first world title in 2015 and is currently fourth in the world in the men’s recurve/composite category.
Athletics – Aug. 27 – Sept. 5: This will be an event to watch; during the last Paralympics in Rio, 70 new world records were set, and athletes have only improved in the five years since then.
Athletes to watch:
Marissa Papaconstantinou of Canada runs in the T64 100m classification due to a congenital limb deficiency. She holds the Canadian record and competed at Rio when she was only 16 years old. She is an ambassador for Para-Sport (which is sport practised by people with disabilities) in Canada and was highlighted in an exhibit about 21st century bionics at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada. Keep your eyes on Papaconstantinou in Tokyo in the 100 and 200m T64 heats as she is currently ranked third in the world for each event.
Lex Gillette from the USA is a completely blind long jumper and 100m runner competing in his fifth Paralympic Games, having medalled silver in four of them. He competes in the T11/F11 categories. Gillette lives by the phrase, “No need for sight when you have a vision,” and his vision is a gold medal in Tokyo.
Alia Issa represents the Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) and is competing in the club throw, a Paralympic throwing event that is equivalent to the hammer throw. She was born in Greece and became disabled when she was four after a severe smallpox infection, but through sports she reports that she “felt stronger and more confident with my body and mobility.” She is the only female on the six-person RPT and represents refugee women from around the world. The world is cheering her on!
Badminton – Sept. 1-5:This year is the debut of this Paralympic event and has 90 players competing in it.
Athletes to watch:
Jack Shephard from Dronfield in Derbyshire represents Great Britain and is the world ranked No. 1 player in the men’s singles SS 6 category, for individuals with short stature. He gives Great Britain hope for a gold medal after winning four of his five international competitions in 2018.
Lucas Mazur from France is world ranked No. 1 in the men’s singles SL 4 classification, for athletes with a severe lower limb impairment, and is the reigning World and European champion. In 2019, he qualified for the finals in each international event he competed in. After having a stroke when he was 3 years old, he found a love for sports and started para-badminton when he was 12.
Boccia – Aug. 28 – Sept. 4: There are a total of 116 athletes competing in 7 boccia events in Tokyo.
Athletes to watch:
Grigorios Polychronidis (39) of Greece competes in the BC3 classification due to Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He has competed in every Paralympic Games since Beijing 2008 and has brought home one gold medal, two silvers, and one bronze in mixed events and is hopeful for his first individual gold medal. His wife, Katerina, is his competition assistant and they received clearance to bring along their 3 month old daughter, Valentina.
Alison Levine, representing Canada, is from Montréal and competes in the BC4 classification due to a degenerative neuromuscular disease. She was the first woman to have a No. 1 world ranking in the BC4 category in 2019 and is headed into the Paralympics with that ranking. Having thrown her first boccia ball in 2012 and making the provincial team a month later, she is a natural at the sport and has great podium potential in Tokyo.
Canoe Sprint – Sept. 2-4: This year’s Games feature the addition of the va’a category, a canoe sprint with Polynesian origins which comprises an outrigger canoe with an ‘ama’ as a support.
Athletes to watch:
Blake Haxton is on team USA and lost his legs in his senior year of high school after contracting Necrotising Fasciitis. This will be his second Paralympic games. In Rio, he narrowly missed the podium, so he comes to Tokyo looking to leave with a medal around his neck in the PR1 single sculls category.
Anas Al Khalifa is a Syrian born athlete representing the RPT in the men’s K4 500m para-canoe race. Two years ago, he injured his spinal cord in a work accident, but used para-canoe as a way of rehabilitation. He is one to watch, not only for his athleticism, but to cheer on the mental and physical strength that he represents displaced people with.
Cycling, Road – Aug. 31 – Sept. 3: Road cycling has a total of 34 gold medals available to win. This means that there will be no shortage of races to keep you entertained!
Athletes to watch:
Marie-Ève Croteau, a Canadian, is a 42 year old from Quèbec City who has qualified for three. Paralympics. Unfortunately, she suffered a concussion before the London Games and could not compete, however she returned to the sport and had a fourth place finish in Rio. Competing in the T2 classification, the tricyclist is one of Canada’s most successful international para-cyclists and medal hopefuls in Tokyo.
Shawn Morelli races for Team USA in the WC4 classification and was a two-time gold medalist in Rio. As a veteran of the American military, she was injured on duty in 2007 and lost vision in her right eye and suffered neck and nerve damage. She also competes in the track cycling events, and one of her two Paralympic golds is from track cycling.
Dame Sarah Storey is Great Britain’s most successful female Paralympian and Tokyo will be her eighth Games. She races with a limb difference and looks to defend her Paralympic titles in the women’s C5 individual pursuit, C5 time trial and C4-5 road race. If she successfully wins these races, she will become Great Britain’s most decorated Paralympian in history, surpassing the swimmer, Mike Kenney.
Cycling, Track – Aug. 25-28: Track cyclists use a fixed gear bike to reach speeds over 60km/h in the velodrome.
Athletes to watch:
Diego Duenas of Colombia was a bronze medalist in Rio and is looking to change the colour of his medal in Tokyo. In 2019 he reached the top of the rankings in the men’s C4 classification. Duenos trains with his sister, a cyclist for a professional American team and is consistently at the top of his game.
Ricardo Ten Argiles from Spain is a successful C1 swimmer in Paralympics since 1996, but he made the switch to track cycling in 2017 for the 2020 Paralympics. After losing both of his arms and his left leg below the knee, he has won 7 Paralympic medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze). This will be his fifth Paralympic Games and he is one to watch as he switches sports.
Chinese athlete, Zeng Sini, won 2 gold medals and a bronze in the Women’s individual pursuit C1-2-3 category in London 2012, and a silver and bronze in Rio 2016. Find her on the track at these Paralympics as she intends to boost her current medals.
Equestrian – Aug. 26-30: Since 1996, the Paralympics have hosted a para-dressage competition that is the second largest in the world; the Olympics host the largest.
Athletes to watch:
Natasha Baker MBE of Great Britain has five gold medals from the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, and is hoping to add to her collection this month. She currently competes in the Grade III classification after losing the use of her legs to transverse myelitis as a young child. Baker was inspired to become a Paralympian after watching the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, and this year will be her hat trick of Paralympics.
Sanne Voets from the Netherlands is also in the Grade III classification and won gold in Rio. Before an accident of falling from a horse that further damaged her legs in 2001, she competed in non-disabled dressage events. She also competed in the 2012 Games, and came fourth in the team competition. Tune in to her first event to see if she can defend her title on August 27.
Football, 5-a-side – Aug. 29-31, Sept. 2,4: Football, or what Americans call soccer, is a Paralympic event for individuals with vision impairments that they play on a smaller pitch. All athletes, except for the goalkeeper (who can be sighted), have a B1 classification.
Athletes to watch:
Abderrazak Hattab plays for Morocco and is considered as one of the best football 5-a-side players in Africa. He was on Morocco’s Paralympic team in 2016 when they became the first African football 5-a-side team to compete in the Paralympics. Nicknamed “Bourzouk,” he is a top scorer in the leagues that he plays in. Morocco’s first game is August 29, against Argentina.
Spaniard Antonio Martin Gaitan will play his first game in Tokyo on August 29, against Thailand. Playing for Team Spain, he is one of the most decorated football 5-a-side players in the world. He won a bronze medal at the 2004 and 2012 Paralympics. Since his debut, he has been one of the top scorers and his talents are sure to be exciting to watch.
Goalball – Aug. 25 – Sept. 3: The winner of this competition is difficult to predict, there are no clear favourites and the field is wide open to underdogs. This will be a fast-paced game to watch and an interesting final game series.
Athletes to watch:
Turkish player Sevda Altunoluk brought her country to their first Paralympic gold medal in women’s goalball in Rio 2016. She scored 46 goals in the 2018 world championships, and is consistent with this high number of goals. She began playing goalball when she was 12 and has developed an interesting throwing style.
From Lithuania, Justas Pazarauskas led his country to gold in the men’s competition at the 2016 Games. Aside from being an Olympic champion, he is also a World champion and European champion. Since he joined the Lithuanian team, it rose to its former glory and is going into the Paralympics second ranked in the world.
Judo – Aug. 27-29: Judo classes are divided by weight, not impairment, however all sight classes are together.
Athletes to watch:
Mexican, Lenia Fabiola Ruvalcaba Alvarez is a visually impaired judoka who competes in the 70kg category. She won a silver medal at the Paralympics in 2008, but in Rio she became the Olympic champion and came home as the first Mexican female to win an Olympic or Paralympic gold medal. She seeks to defend her title later this month in Tokyo.
Inna Cherniak from Ukraine brought home a gold medal in the up to 57kg category in Rio. She is also seeking to defend her position in Tokyo, however she has found more success since moving to the up to 52kg category with a win at the 2018 World Championships.
Powerlifting – Aug. 26-30: In powerlifting, the athletes can lift more than 3 times their own bodyweight, and like judo, they are classed by weight instead of impairment.
Athletes to watch:
Ni Nengah Widiasih represents Indonesia and has competed at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, winning bronze in 2016. When she won bronze, she became the first Indonesian powerlifter to win a medal at the Paralympics. She competes in the 40kg class. She hopes to better the colour of her medal in Tokyo, as she recently lifted over 97kg, winning Bronze at the 2021 World Cup event in Dubai.
Nazmiye Muratli is a Turkish lifter and the current world record holder in the 40kg division, with a lift of 104kg that she won gold with at the 2012 Paralympic Games. Her international debut arrived three months after she began powerlifting and she took home bronze at her first ever international competition. Her ambition is to win gold at the 2020 Games, so check out this event to see if she will also break her own World record.
Lucy Ejike from Nigeria has three Paralympic gold medals and two Paralympic silver medals, across four different weight classifications in five different Paralympics. Nigeria has some of the world’s best powerlifting, but among the greats, Ejike is remarkable. She hopes to break her own record and defend her gold medal position in the up to 61kg category in Tokyo. Her current world record is 142kg, but when she is not training, she works as a sports administrator for her state.
Rowing – Aug. 27-29: This is the first year that the Paralympics will feature a 2,000m race distance, which gives them parity with the Olympics for the first time.
Athletes to watch:
Birgit Skarstein from Norway competes in rowing at the Summer Paralympics, and cross-country skiing at the Winter Paralympics. In Rio, she came fourth in the PR1 single sculls event, but has since won gold in every World Cup event including at the 2019 World Championships, earning her a spot in Tokyo. She has her eyes set on a gold medal this year and starts racing in the heats on August 27.
Greta Muti, an Italian, is not only Paralympic bound, she is also a medical student who has contributed to a COVID-19 screening project on her island. She races in the PR3 mixed 4s category and Tokyo will be her first Paralympic experience. Rowing with Erb’s Palsy has built her strength and she is heading into Tokyo stronger than ever, and ready to race for her country.
Shooting – Aug. 30 – Sept. 5: Since the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, shooting Para-sport has shrunk down to only 13 events (9 pistol and 4 rifle events), from a previous 29 events.
Athletes to watch:
Cuiping Zhang from China will be competing in her fourth Paralympic Games after taking home one bronze and two silvers in Beijing, two golds and one bronze in London, and two golds and one silver in Rio. She holds these medals in the SH1 classification of 10 m air rifle standing, 50 m rifle 3 positions, Mixed 10 m air rifle prone, and Mixed 50 m rifle prone. As a highly decorated athlete in this sport, she will be one to watch in Tokyo.
New Zealand’s Michael Johnson will be representing his country for the fifth time at the Paralympics. He won gold in Athens 2004, only three years after starting shooting. He also has two bronze medals from 2008 and 2012. Competing with a spinal injury, Johnson will become the third Kiwi Paralympian to compete at five games. He competes in the SH2 classification and has his first qualification round on August 30.
Manish Narwal of India is currently ranked fourth in the world in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol SH1 event. As a twenty year old, this will be his first Paralympic appearance, but he has been competing well on the international circuit, with a bronze medal finish at the 2019 World Championships. In March he broke the world record for the P4 mixed 50m pistol SH1 event at the 2021 Para Shooting World Cup and is one to watch at these Games.
Sitting Volleyball – Aug. 27 – Sept. 5: Eight teams will be competing in each of the mens and womens divisions at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Athletes to watch:
Mirzet Duran of Bosnia and Herzegovina will play against Egypt on August 27 for their first preliminary game. Having led his team to one gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics and silver in 2008 and 2016, he will be looking to add another gold medal to his arsenal. Duran lost his foot in a grenade explosion when he was six, but after taking up sitting volleyball, he has been named the best hitter and server in several tournaments.
Suellen Cristine Dellangelica Lima from Team Brazil starts her second Paralympic games on August 27, against Canada. In Rio, Brazil won their first medal in this sport with a bronze medal, and they hope to change the colour of their medal in Tokyo. Dellangelica is a proven starter for her team and brought them to a silver medal finish at the 2019 Parapan American Games.
Liliane Mukobwankawe from Rwanda is a pillar of her country’s sitting volleyball team and her first game in Tokyo is against the USA on August 28. She is the captain of the team and also competed in Rio 2016. Rwanda qualified for the Tokyo tournament after beating Egypt in the final round of the 2019 African Sitting Volleyball Championships.
Swimming – Aug. 25 – Sept. 3: Swimming was one of 8 sports at the first Paralympics and now it is the most popular sport with a delegation of 608 athletes from 74 countries, participating in 146 events.
Athletes to watch:
Mohammad Abbas Karimi is on the RPT and was born in Afghanistan without both arms. He currently trains in the USA and primarily competes in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly in the S5 classification. At the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships, he became the first refugee to win any world championship medal when he finished with a silver medal in the S5 50m butterfly. He will be one to watch in Tokyo as you cheer on the RPT and what they represent.
Yip Pin Xiu from Singapore is a trailblazer for her country in her sport, winning her country’s first Paralympic gold medal in 2008. She has muscular dystrophy and competes in the S3 backstroke and freestyle categories. With a silver and gold medal in 2008, fourth place finishes in 2012, and two golds in 2016, she seeks to defend her titles this summer. Yip has made several world records and a stunning performance is expected from her in Tokyo.
Danielle Kisser and Morgan Bird and Aurélie Rivard are three Canadian swimmers who have never ceased to make their country proud and represent the maple leaf. Kisser will be competing at her first Paralympics after recovering from a double-leg osteotomy meant she could not race in Rio. She races in the S6, SB6 and SM6 classification, and even throughout the pandemic she built a pool in her backyard to continue training. This was documented on her YouTube channel, @DanielleKisser (check it out for more fun videos!). She will be one to watch in Tokyo! Morgan Bird will be appearing at her third Paralympic Games. In Rio, her best performance was a fifth place finish in the 100m freestyle S8 race, along with two other fifth place finishes (one being in the relay). She is a double Parapan American Games champion in the 50m and 400m freestyle S8 events. Born with cerebral palsy, she is an essential member of Team Canada and is sure to perform at her peak in Tokyo. Aurélie Rivard has a congenital limb deficiency and was a star in Rio. At the 2016 Paralympics, she brought home gold in 50m,100m, and 400m freestyle S10, and a silver in 200m IM SM10. With Tokyo being her third Paralympics, she brings experience and previous podiums to the team.
Table Tennis – Aug. 25 – Sept. 3: Table tennis has been a Paralympic sport for longer than it has been an Olympic sport.
Athletes to watch:
Kelly van Zon, a Dutch athlete, is already a two-time Paralympic champion, and is looking to go for a hat trick of Paralympic gold medals to add to her bronze medal from Beijing. This will be the 33 year old’s fourth Paralympics and she goes into it as the number one in the world in the women’s class 7. Since 2005, she has made the podium in every international competition, and is a probable pick to land on the podium in Tokyo.
Mohamed Sameh Eid Saleh, an Egyptian, will become the first African para-table tennis player to compete in five Paralympics. The 41 year old competes in class 4 and called his road to qualification, “a difficult route.” Whether he wins or loses, he will still be one to watch as a dominant veteran of the sport.
Laurens Devos, a Belgian athlete, won gold in Rio in the class 9 category, at the age of 16 – the youngest male Paralympic table tennis champion in history. Devos has cerebral palsy, and at 18, he is already a Paralympic, World, and double-European champion. With a bright future ahead of him, and plenty of success already behind him, he is sure to bring an exciting performance to Tokyo.
Taekwondo – Sept. 2-4: This year features the debut of taekwondo at the Paralympics.
Athletes to watch:
Parfait Hakizimana was born in Burundi and competes for the Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) in the under 61kg category. After having his arm amputated, Taekwondo gave him hope and he has organised a refugee taekwondo school that has trained more than 1,000 refugee children. The RPT represents over 82 million refugees across the world, including the 12 million of them that live with a disability.
Bolor-Erdene Ganbat, competing for Mongolia, is world ranked No. 1 in the up to 61kg K44 classification. In his first Paralympics, he is excited to win a gold medal after a series of bright performances in Asia before the pandemic. He is one of two Mongolian athletes that will be competing in para-taekwondo in Tokyo.
Angelica Espinoza Carranza from Peru won gold at the 2019 Parapan American Games in the under 49kg K44 classification. This will be her first Paralympic Games, but if her winning streak continues, it certainly won’t be her last. She has won five of her last six tournaments and is consistent at upsetting the top ranked fighters.
Triathlon – Aug. 28-29: Paratriathletes race a sprint distance triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) for the second time that this sport has been in the Paralympics.
Athletes to watch:
Lauren Parker, from Australia, is one of her country’s most promising paratriathletes. She used to be an able-bodied triathlete, however after a bike accident while training for an Ironman resulted in paraplegia, she switched gears to becoming a Paralympian. This will be her first Paralympic appearance, but her last appearance in 2019 on the world stage saw her on top of the podium in Lausanne at the World Championships. Keep an eye on Parker as she rises to the top of the international stage on August 29, in the women’s PTWC classification.
Stefan Daniel from Canada will race in the PTS5 classification on August 29. After winning silver in Rio, and becoming Canada’s first paratriathlete with a Paralympic medal, he hopes to upgrade his position to stand on top of the podium in Tokyo. After returning to the world circuit in 2021 (it was paused during COVID-19), he won gold in Spain, clearly Daniel is at the top of his form going into this year’s Paralympics. Born with bilateral radial club hands, he is also the 2015 Canadian junior champion (able-bodied). Coming from a family of athletes (his brother swam on Canada’s Paralympic team, his mother ran marathons, and his father raced Ironmans), success isn’t new to him, but he is searching for more of it in Tokyo.
Hideki Uda, a paratriathlete from Japan, will be representing the host country in the men’s PTS4 classification. Most recently, he won bronze in Yokohama at the World Para Triathlon Series. His personal best for the sprint distance is under an hour, and is going into the Games ranked second in the world in his classification. As one of the strongest paratriathletes from Asia, he will be one to watch as he represents the host nation with pride as the first paratriathlon on August 28.
Wheelchair Basketball – Aug. 25 – Sept. 5: Wheelchair basketball is played in more than 100 countries worldwide with national and university leagues in several countries, making this a very popular sport.
Athletes to watch:
Bo Hedges will be representing Team Canada in his fourth Paralympic Games. With a classification of 2.5, Hedges is also the team captain and brings experience with a gold and silver Paralympic finish. His first World Championship win was at the World Juniors in 1997, and has since been dominant on the international stage.
Rose Hollermann, for America, was the youngest player on her country’s gold medal winning team in Rio when she was 21 years old, and also competed at London 2012. A 3.5 player, she is now considered a veteran of her team, as a younger generation of players have now stepped in. Team USA will be one to watch as they defend their gold medal from Rio, and with Hollermann leading the team as a consistent top scorer.
Wheelchair Fencing – Aug. 25-29: In wheelchair fencing, the athlete’s wheelchairs are fixed to the floor by a frame so that they cannot move.
Athletes to watch:
Irma Khetsuriani, a wheelchair fencer from Georgia, has had a series of world championship wins since her first Paralympic appearance in Rio where she finished seventh. She is currently ranked No. 1 in the world, in the women’s sabre category B. In the 2018/2019 world circuit, she had an unbeaten seven-win streak in seven competitions. Winning a medal in Tokyo is important to her, but as one of Georgia’s most awarded para-athletes, her country and the world will be cheering her on.
Thailand’s Saysunee Jana is her country’s first female Paralympic gold medalist. Having competed in both the foil and épée categories, her strength is in épée category B. With a total of two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, in four Paralympic appearances so far, she is still in contention for a podium appearance at her fourth Paralympics.
Wheelchair Rugby – Aug. 25-29: Wheelchair rugby is a mixed gender game that was originally called “murderball” due to how rough it is.
Athletes to watch:
Kylie Grimes from Great Britain will be competing in her third Paralympic Games. She was one of only two women in the wheelchair rugby 2012 Paralympics, and switched over to athletics to compete in the F51 club throw, where she finished fourth in 2016. This year she is back to playing rugby. Living with a spinal injury, Grimes plays for the London Wheelchair Rugby Club and is the only woman on Great Britain’s wheelchair rugby squad this year.
Cedric Nankin represents France for his second Paralympics. In Rio, France came seventh in the wheelchair rugby competition, but have since been on the podium at the European Championships and have beaten several higher ranked teams, such as Canada, in the lead up to Tokyo. Nankin is a stellar defender from Saint-Denis, France who will be one to watch this year.
Wheelchair Tennis – Aug. 27 – Sept. 4: In wheelchair tennis, the Netherlands has been in every singles gold medal match in the Paralympics, so they are a country to keep an eye on as they advance throughout the competition.
Athletes to watch:
Gustavo Fernandez from Argentina is one of the greatest wheelchair tennis players right now, in 2018 he won 5 titles and in 2017 was also the first Latin American player to reach No. 1 in men’s singles. This will be his third Paralympics, after missing out on the semi-finals in Rio. Currently he is ranked fourth in the world and will be looking to make it on the podium in Japan.
Kgothatso ‘KG’ Montjane from South Africa has already made history as the first Black South African woman to compete at Wimbledon. She is currently ranked fifth in the world and will be one to watch as she has her eyes set on the podium in Tokyo. This will be the first Paralympic competition for the 35 year old who is also a leader and ambassador for the sport of wheelchair tennis.
