(ATR) Two stops this week – Tokyo and then to Lima – as International Paralympic Committee executive director Xavier González keeps his eye on two big events coming up.
In Tokyo at the start of the week, Gonzalez observes the 2020 Paralympics could be the best in history. However, he expressed his concern for what he considered "an insufficient number of accessible rooms ready for the Games".
The Paralympic leader said that athletes can expect an excellent Paralympic Village. Gonzalez says he’s worried about rooms in hotels for other people with disabilities. He says sponsors, Paralympic officials, guests, fans and the media will all need accessible rooms. The IPC says between 400 and 500 accessible wheelchair rooms are needed.
The organizing committee of Tokyo says that the city has around 700 accessible rooms, although reports refer to a smaller number.
The shortage of rooms is beyond the control of the local organizing committee which is responsible for running the Games. It’s up to city and national governments to find a way to boost the inventory of wheelchair accessible rooms.
The Japanese government said that according to the rules that will take effect on September 1, 2019, hotels with more than 50 rooms must reserve at least 1 percent for wheelchair users.
Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Yuriko Koike says that the city would amend the ordinances to establish rules for hotels "without barriers" that would apply to both new hotels as well as hotels which currently do not comply.
The city and national government are offering subsidies for hotels to make modifications.
Of the 4,400 Paralympic athletes, 1,800 will use wheelchairs.
In his visit to Tokyo, Gonzalez praised in general the progress in the organization of the Game. He acknowledged that the public transport system is among the best in the world with many stations with elevators and assistants to help on the platforms.
Checkup for Lima 2019 Para Panams
Gonzalez flew to Lima from Tokyo in time for meetings Oct. 23 to review plans for the Parapan Am Games to be held from August 23 to September 1, 2019.
The Paralympic leader noted that as in Tokyo, the Lima Parapan American Games in 300 days have the purpose of changing the mentality of the people.
According to the National Specialized Survey on Disability of 2012, 6.8 percent of people living in Lima have a disability. In 2012, Lima had 385,000 people with reduced mobility in some way. Another 335,000 had limitations to their vision.
The organizers, as well as the International Paralympic Committee, hope that the Para PanAms will contribute to universal accessibility in Lima.
"We will have accessible infrastructure, technical manuals and all the spirit for sports of the Peruvians," says a representative of Lima 2019 ahead of the meetings with Gonzalez.
A COPAL representative told Around the Rings that a number of accessible hotel rooms are planned in Lima.
Luisa Villar, president of the National Paralympic Association of Peru said that "we aim to promote the practice of Para sports throughout the country, transform our city with works that will be a sports legacy."
Reported by Miguel Hernandez.For general comments or questions, click here .
Recent Articles
Sinner-Alcaraz, the duel that came to succeed the three phenomenons
Beyond the final result, Roland Garros left the feeling that the Italian and the Spaniard will shape the great duel that came to help us through the duel for the end of the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic era.
Table tennis: Brazil’s Bruna Costa Alexandre will be Olympic and Paralympic in Paris 2024
She is the third in her sport and the seventh athlete to achieve it in the same edition; in Santiago 2023 she was the first athlete with disabilities to compete at the Pan American level and won a medal.
Rugby 7s: the best player of 2023 would only play the medal match in Paris
Argentinian Rodrigo Isgró received a five-game suspension for an indiscipline in the circuit’s decisive clash that would exclude him until the final or the bronze match; the Federation will seek to make the appeal successful.
Rhonex Kipruto, owner of the world record for the 10000 meters on the road, was suspended for six years
The Kenyan received the maximum sanction for irregularities in his biological passport and the Court considered that he was part of a system of “deliberate and sophisticated doping” to improve his performance. He will lose his record and the bronze medal at the Doha World Cup.
Katie Ledecky spoke about doping Chinese swimmers: “It’s difficult to go to Paris knowing that we’re going to compete with some of these athletes”
The American, a seven-time Olympic champion, referred to the case of the 23 positive controls before the Tokyo Games that were announced a few weeks ago and shook the swimming world. “I think our faith in some of the systems is at an all-time low,” he said.
