Paralympic Games
24 August - 5 September 2021

Tokyo 2020 announces Paralympic competition schedule

Line-ups released for 539 events across 22 sports at 21 venues 03 Aug 2020
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Tokyo 2020 Stadium
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium ready for action.
ⒸTokyo 2020
By Tokyo 2020 and IPC

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has announced the Paralympic competition schedule, following the Games’ postponement to 2021.

Featuring 539 events across 22 sports contested at 21 venues, the Paralympic Games will take place in the Japanese capital city from 24 August – 5 September.

The first medals will be awarded on 25 August in the women's track cycling 3,000m pursuit time trial C1-3, which will take place at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka prefecture. 

On the same day, medallists will be decided in a total of 24 events, including 16 swimming, four wheelchair fencing and four track cycling events.

Paralympic fans will be able to enjoy watching traditional favourites like athletics and swimming events throughout; these are scheduled for all but two of the 12 days of the Games. Athletics will feature the largest number of individual events at the Games, and all athletics sessions will include finals, resulting in 167 medal events.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons said: “The announcement of the competition schedule is always a key milestone for all Paralympic Games.  

“With just over one year to go, Para athletes can now see when they will be competing, and spectators can start to plan which events they either want to attend in person or view on television.”

Of the total 300 sessions, 109 will include medal events. Overall, events have been scheduled at family-friendly times that will allow as many people as possible to experience them. The latest sessions in 18 out of the 22 sports are scheduled to finish before or at 10 p.m. local time.

Parsons added: “We are pleased that this schedule has been finalised so quickly following March’s postponement and that it again follows timings that are suitable for a family audience to engage with the Games.”

‘Golden Sunday’

Falling mid-way through the Games on 29 August, an exciting 63 medal events will be held, the most of any day during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

This will include 20 final events in athletics, four in triathlon, four in rowing, 13 in swimming, and five in judo. The wheelchair rugby final will also take place, with hopes running high in reigning world champions Japan.

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a group of Japanese wheelchair rugby players celebrate on the court
Japan celebrate after winning wheelchair rugby world title Ⓒ Disability Sports Australia

Paralympic debuts

Badminton and taekwondo, newly introduced to the Paralympic Games, will be two of the highlights of the latter half of the Games. The first ever Paralympic taekwondo medallists will be determined on 2 September and medal events for badminton will be held on 4 September, the penultimate day of the Games. 

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Indonesia female badminton player lunges for the shuttle
Leani Ratri Oktila took gold at 2019 Worlds Ⓒ Badmintonphoto/BWF

Climax of the Games

On 5 September, the closing day of the Paralympic Games, a total of 15 final events will be held in men’s and women’s marathon, badminton, men’s wheelchair basketball, women’s sitting volleyball and shooting. The last medal session of the Games will be the men's wheelchair basketball. 

Full schedule is available on the Tokyo 2020 website.