Japan Para Wheelchair Rugby Championship Postponed

The Japan Para Wheelchair Rugby Championship 2020 has been postponed due to coronavirus restrictions. The Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA) announced that the championships could not go ahead in March due to policy advice from the Japanese Prime Minister.

The Japan Para Wheelchair Rugby Championship was also meant to serve as a Paralympic testing event for the Games being held later in 2020. The focus was to test various functional areas ahead of the Paralympic Games. In the past test, events have been useful for the Organising Committee Olympic Games (OCOG) staff and volunteers.

Last week, the Thailand Wheelchair Rugby forced to withdraw from 2020 Paralympic Qualifiers to be staged in Canada due to coronavirus restrictions.

Who are the Japanese Para-Sports Association?

The Japanese Para-Sports Association was founded in 1965. It is the umbrella organisation for all Parasports in Japan and is the parent organization of the Japanese Paralympic Committee.

Japan Para Wheelchair Rugby Championship 2020 Postponed

The IWRF (International Wheelchair Rugby Federation) said they have “been in contact with the Tokyo 2020 senior leadership and as of today, the event scheduled for 12th – 15th March, will be postponed until April 2020. Tokyo 2020 are supportive of taking the necessary steps to try and achieve some level of testing. Current planning would be based on not having any teams travelling internationally. It is possible, that elements of the testing can take place without athletes. The IWRF will update qualified nations on what testing will take place, as and when information is available.”

The organising committee added, “Tokyo 2020 nevertheless will carry out the wheelchair rugby test event in some form in April, after ensuring a safe and secure environment, and will consult with the International Paralympic Committee, International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, and other relevant organisations to determine the new schedule and the content of such tests by the end of March.”

Rugby events affected by Coronavirus in Asia

• The Asian Women’s RWC 2021 qualifiers in HK have been changed.
• Asia Rugby postpones all national rugby tournaments.
• HK and Singapore Sevens postponed until October 2020.
• How has Coronavirus affected rugby in Asia?