In a recent meeting in Berlin, Germany the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced the first 16 sports to be included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sports program. Para-badminton was the only new sport confirmed. A maximum of 23 Para-sports can be included in the Tokyo 2020 program. A final decision on the remaining seven sports has been deferred until January 2015.
The APC’s Para-sport General Manager Michael Hartung said the new inclusion of Para-badminton signals the start of a new era for the sport in Australia. “It is going to be an exciting challenge to grow the sport and build the number of world-class Australian players and coaches,” Hartung said.
Mr Hartung explained that the immediate challenge surrounds gaining the necessary funding to boost the program, which Badminton Australia and the Australian Sports Commission will need to work through.
“And given Australia’s close proximity to Asia which has some of the best badminton nations in the world, hopefully our Para-badminton players and coaches will be exposed to more elite competition opportunities with an eye on competing in Tokyo in six years time.” Mr Hartung commented

The 16 sports approved so far by the IPC Governing Board to be part of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are: athletics, archery, badminton, boccia, equestrian, goalball, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

The eight sports that the IPC Governing Board will make a final decision upon when it next meets in Abu Dhabi, UAE, between 30 January and 1 February 2015, are: canoe, cycling, football 5-a-side, football 7-a-side, judo, taekwondo, sailing and wheelchair fencing.