Paralympic chief hails Tokyo 2020 prep but hotels 'biggest concern'

TOKYO: The Paralympics chief has said the 2020 Games are"on track," but raised alarm bells over a dearth of accessible hotel rooms in Tokyo with only one year to go.

But outside the village, currently only half of the fully accessible rooms needed for the Games are available and Paralympic officials do not want hotels to be too widely dispersed around the vast Japanese capital for fear of creating a knock-on transport headache. The change in legislation will be a positive legacy from the Games and Parsons hoped the competition would also promote a change in attitude.

"They understand they have an issue. They understand this is a problem for us, for the Games, so we are working on it together."Parsons said he hoped the later start date for the Paralympics would reduce some of the problems feared from heat and humidity during the Olympics but noted that there were specific issues faced in disability sport.

"Wheelchair users need more time to prepare, so it probably means they will have to wake up at 2am but the wellbeing of athletes is the No. 1 priority for us," stressed the IPC boss. He noted that despite an accessible transport system,"you don't see persons with disabilities moving around because there is a cultural barrier. There is an expectation that they should stay at home".

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

NOCs confident Tokyo 2020 can overcome heat, water quality issuesTOKYO: Searing heat and water quality issues have dogged Tokyo 2020 organisers in recent weeks but delegates to a Chef de Mission seminar on ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Water bacteria cancels Tokyo 2020 paratriathlon test swimThe swimming section of a paratriathlon test event for Tokyo 2020 was cancelled Saturday due to high levels of bacteria in the water, the latest in a series of difficulties over water quality and temperature. Olympic organisers have won widespread praise for their preparations but extreme summer heat
Source: YahooSG - 🏆 3. / 71 Read more »

Tokyo: Stocks open lower on US losses[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened lower on Wednesday following losses on Wall Street amid lingering trade war concerns and falls in Europe on the political crisis engulfing Italy. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

There's history behind worsening Seoul-Tokyo trade disputeJournalists and academics in Seoul have been running out of colorful descriptions for an intensifying dispute between South Korea and Japan over history and trade that has sent always shaky relations plummeting further. Tokyo's moves to impose trade curbs on Seoul have struck a nerve in South Korea
Source: YahooSG - 🏆 3. / 71 Read more »

NOCs confident Tokyo 2020 can overcome heat, water quality issuesTOKYO: Searing heat and water quality issues have dogged Tokyo 2020 organisers in recent weeks but delegates to a Chef de Mission seminar on ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

DBS Bank to enter India's credit card market next yearMUMBAI: Southeast Asia's biggest bank DBS Group Holdings is preparing to enter the local credit card market in India in 2020, a senior company ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »