The International Triathlon Union (ITU) and the International Paralympic Committee have announced that the paratriathlon races at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be ‘broadcasted live to the whole world’. 14 of the 22 sports will be covered live, and, for the first time, outdoor sports such as triathlon, road cycling and the marathon will also benefit from live coverage.
“We are delighted that our sport will have this opportunity during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,” said ITU President and IOC member, Marisol Casado. “This is only the second time that paratriathlon will be showcased at the Paralympics, and it will be a huge chance of showing the world the strength, courage and determination of all our paratriathletes.”
The IPC conducted a series of interviews after the Rio 2016 Paralympics, and after listening to the views of broadcasters, and with an effort from the Tokyo 2020 organisers, the IPC has decided to show more live sport than ever before, with 14 of the 22 sports being offered the opportunity to be watched live. The outdoor coverage of sports such as paratriathlon will help further ‘showcase the sites of the host city to viewers around the world, fulfilling a long-held ambition of many broadcasters.’
Badminton, boccia, road cycling, goalball, triathlon and the marathon events in athletics – sports that are either new or were not covered at Rio 2016 – will all benefit from live coverage. This is thanks to the support of the IPC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), which the IPC has appointed as host broadcaster to cover the Paralympic Games.
In addition to live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, track cycling, football 5-a-side, judo, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis will also be made available live for broadcasters to show. At Rio 2016 and London 2012, 12 Paralympic disciplines were available for broadcasters to screen live.
“We are proud to further our commitment to provide broadcasters and audiences around the world with even greater access to Paralympic sports for the Tokyo 2020 Games through this unprecedented coverage plan,” said Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services.
The Rio 2016 Paralympics broke all broadcasting records. The Games were covered by television, radio and online outlets in a record 154 countries and were watched by a record cumulative TV audience of 4.1 billion people. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take place between 25 August and 6 September.
This latest announcement also marks one year since ITU Executive Board member, Dr Debra Alexander, was elected member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board. “It’s been a busy year in terms of additional work and commitment, but also a year in which I have learned a great deal which in many ways has had an influence on both organizations, IPC and ITU,” she said in Madrid before participating in the 2018 IPC Membership Gathering and Governing Board meetings.
