(ATR) Games organizers unveil the program following its approval by the International Paralympic Committee.
The biggest Paralympics ever will be held over 12 days in Tokyo, Aug. 25 to Sept. 6 and will feature 22 sports and 540 events. A record 4,400 will contest medals.
"The most popular sports are spread throughout the Games so spectators can enjoy the dramatic highs and lows from the beginning to end," Tokyo 2020 said in a release.
"Overall, events are scheduled so they are more accessible to families and a wide range of other people."
To protect athletes from the sizzling summer heat of Tokyo, the marathon and triathlon races will be held early in the morning.
A day after the opening ceremony, competition in seven sports will begin: track cycling, goalball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair rugby.
Athletics events are scheduled to run at the Olympic Stadium each day from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5.
On the morning of Aug. 29 and 30, triathlon will be held over its most urban course in the history of the Paralympics. The race will be run around the Odaiba district next to Tokyo Bay, allowing the athletes to compete in front of a backdrop of Tokyo’s skyscrapers.
The wheelchair rugby final on the first Sunday after the opening ceremony is a highlight of the middle phase of the Paralympics.
Host nation Japan is expected to do well after defeating the Rio 2016 gold medallist Australia team to be crowned world champions this year.
Road cycling starts on Sept. 1, with all courses starting and ending at the Fuji International Speedway at the foot of Mount Fuji.
Badminton and taekwondo – on the Paralympic sport program for the first time – will be held in the second half of the Games. The racquet sport is at the Yoyogi National Stadium, a legacy venue from the Tokyo 1964 Games, and taekwondo at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba.
Many semi-finals and finals for various sports, including the finals of wheelchair tennis and basketball, will take place in the second half of the Games.
The men’s and women’s marathon will be held on the morning of the Games’ final day.
"The schedule for 12 days of fierce competition between a record 4,400 Paralympians from around the world has been framed," said Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori.
"22 sports are scheduled, spread in a well-balanced manner across the length of the Games, so spectators can enjoy the dramatic highs and lows from beginning to end.
He added: "We believe that watching a powerful display of sporting prowess on-site, with the high performances of Paralympians who are pushing their limits to create the drama of the Games, will be an experience that reaches many people’s hearts.
Tokyo 2020 said the competition schedule by session announced Friday, which outlines the start and finish times of each session, is subject to change. A more detailed schedule by event, which identifies the individual times of specific events within each session, will be published in the coming months.
Paralympic tickets go on sale for Japanese residents in summer 2019.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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