Tokyo 2020 announce date for Para athletics Test Event

Competition set to take place in May at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital 11 Dec 2020

The view of a stadium with a red athletics track seen by the starting line

The Olympic Stadium will receive the Para athletics events during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

ⒸAtsushi Tomura/Getty Images

By World Para Athletics

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) announced on Friday (11 December) the date of the Para athletics Test Event.

Ready Steady Tokyo - Para athletics will take place on 11 May at the Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital. The competition will be held two days after the Olympic Athletics Test Event in the same venue.

Para athletics is one of the eight sports included in the programme of the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy in 1960, and has been part of the Games ever since.

A total of 1,100 athletes are set to compete in 167 Para athletics medal events at Tokyo 2020.

The Organising Committee had published a revised Test Event calendar in 27 November, following changes made in the wake of the postponement of the Games to 2021. But the exact date of the Para athletics event was still to be confirmed.

The new updated calendar covers test events for 18 Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, also including Para swimming and wheelchair rugby.

The test events will test three essential elements: the field of play (competition area) for each event, the use of technology, and workforce - with a particular focus on technical aspects including countermeasures against COVID-19.

In addition, Tokyo 2020 will re-examine and review the content of test events that were scheduled prior to the postponement of the Games in collaboration with International Federations and in accordance with Olympic Agenda 2020, including the New Norm in order to further improve efficiency and reduce costs.

In response to the COVID-19 situation, the Organising Committee will implement infection countermeasures and plan to conduct comprehensive tests of various aspects of venue management, including the handling of spectators at selected test events.

Some aspects of the test events are still under review. Any changes will be announced by Tokyo 2020 as soon as they are decided.

For the latest event line-up and competition schedule by session click here.