Making Tokyo 'Barrier Free' is First Priority

(ATR) Tokyo organizers say they will focus on reducing barriers in the city and Paralympic education programs over the next four years.

Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike, Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto and Japanese Paralympic Committee president Mitsunori Torihara held a joint press conference the day before the Rio 2016 Paralympic closing ceremony. The trio discussed how Japan will use the Paralympic movement to benefit the city of Tokyo on the eve of receiving the Paralympic flag.

"If you look at Tokyo [during] its history, we have developed roads that are too narrow, furthermore the doors are not wide and the ceiling is low for typical housing," Koike told reporters. "As we welcome the athletes as well as spectators from all over at the venues we must overcome these challenges so international standards will be adopted accordingly."

Koike hopes to adopt policy that will move power lines throughout the city underground to help widen city roads. The government will also look at existing infrastructure and work to make it barrier free for all citizens. Koike also emphasized making sure Japanese citizens also have a "barrier free mind".

The Tokyo government is working alongside Tokyo 2020 and the JPC to develop education curriculum for primary and junior high students to teach Paralympic sport at a young age. Organizers said that the love of para-sport will also be aimed at the aging population of Japan, showing everyone can get behind the Paralympic movement.

"We will make the most effort to increase Paralympic fans in every single venue," Torihara said. "We wish that Paralympic values will be transformed into reality through sporting excellence in para-athletes and inspiration from them."

Tokyo 2020 says they are learning from Rio’s government collaboration to begin a new partnership with the Koike-led metropolitan government. The two sides will sit down after the Games to conduct a thorough review of the budget, Muto said. After her election, Koike has repeatedly said she hopes to reduce as much cost as possible for the Olympic project.

"The budget in an Olympic games always has budget overruns, so it is good to review the whole budget at this point in time," Koike said. "[We need] the fiscal situation of the games to become sound for the benefit of the citizens. We are going through the process of review for after the Games. We have to make sure that fiscal difficulties are not experienced after the Games as well."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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