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Visions on the Legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

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The Palgrave Handbook of Paralympic Studies

Abstract

Possible legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics can broadly be divided into two parts: domestic impact and legacy, and international legacy. Domestic legacy can be achieved at least in four dimensions. Firstly, there can be legal, institutional or organisational legacy. Legal and institutional status of various para-sports federations can be more streamlined, particularly as a result of the newly established Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Centre. Secondly, there is an economic dimension which is mainly focused on the wider employment of disabled persons and stronger commitment of business sponsorship. Thirdly, one can envisage social legacy ranging from stronger promotion of accessibility for and wider social inclusion of disabled persons. Fourthly, one can add technological development both in instruments used by disabled persons and in the software to be used for facilitating communication with and among persons with disabilities. On the international dimension, one could count on the possible outcome of the “Sport For Tomorrow” initiative under which sports for the disabled in developing countries are expected to be promoted through economic cooperation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    With regard to the economic impact of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, it is still premature to assess the impact. A very preliminary calculation was, however, published in 2015 by the Mitsubishi Sogo Kenkyujo under the title of “2020 Olympic, Paralympic Kyogi Taikai-no Tokyo Kaisai-ni Tomonau Keizaikoka-no Santei-ni Kansuru Gyomu Chosa Hokokusho” (“Research paper on the calculation of economic effects of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games”) does not focus on the Paralympics. And almost all the economic impact is related to the Olympic Games and a separate calculation on the impact of the Paralympics is not found, except that it estimates that (1) the total number of Paralympic athletes , coaches, managers and journalists amounts to 15,348 and (2) the total number of Paralympic tickets to be sold is 1,407,600.

  2. 2.

    The purport of the group is explained or documented in the paper presented to the group by T. Kowata at the group meeting of February 2016.

  3. 3.

    All these endeavours above mentioned may give rise to some ethical issues as well as practical difficulties for actual application and to what extent they could eventually be considered as a legacy of the Paralympic Games remains uncertain.

  4. 4.

    This decline seems to be caused, at least partially, by the shift of the policy of the JPSA to increase official “partners” rather than official “supporters” the merit of which is comparatively limited.

  5. 5.

    Members of the steering committee of the consortium (as of January 2016) are as follows:

    • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    • Japan Sports Agency

    • Japan Sport Council (JSC)

    • Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

    • Japan Foundation

    • Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC)

    • Japanese Para-Sports Association・Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC)

    • Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA)

    • Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (University of Tsukuba)

    • The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020).

  6. 6.

    Out of the three major assessment papers so far published on the economic impact of Tokyo 2020, only the paper written by the Mizuho Research Center included in the study the economic impact of the Paralympics as distinguished from the Olympics and this paper estimates that the economic effect of better accessibility in transport facilities will amount (by the year 2020) to approximately 80 billion yen.

  7. 7.

    As of spring 2016, only 7 out of 50 provincial governments have integrated sports of the disabled within the administration of sports policy departments divorced from the welfare departments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nippon Foundation Paralympic Support Centre, Tokyo, Japan

    Kazuo Ogura

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  1. Kazuo Ogura
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom

    Ian Brittain

  2. University of St Mark and St John, Plymouth, United Kingdom

    Aaron Beacom

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Ogura, K. (2018). Visions on the Legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. In: Brittain, I., Beacom, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Paralympic Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47901-3_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47901-3_26

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-47900-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-47901-3

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