Tokyo will host the Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2020. It is hoped that the occasion will increase people's interest in sporting events that are performed by disabled people and help build support, financial and otherwise, for disabled athletes.
The size of the Paralympics is expanding. Some 4,300 athletes from 164 countries and regions took part in the 2012 Paralympics held in London. The event sold a record of some 2.7 million tickets.
The Paralympics attracted about 80 percent of the countries and regions, and about 40 percent of the number of athletes, that took part in the London Olympics, when the two events are compared.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.