Paralympics Tokyo 2020 Dreams Shattered

The women’s T52 100 metres event faced a serious risk of discontinuation following the retirement of world-record holder Michelle Stilwell (Canada) after the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. This situation was further compounded by the passing of the determined Belgian Paralympian Marieke Vervoort on 22 October 2019. The remaining competitors from Rio 2016 were Kerry Morgan (USA), Yuka Kiyama (Japan), and Norsilawati Sa’at (Singapore).

To restore the event’s viability at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, Japan’s Teruyo Tanaka—then 60 years old—returned to competition and delivered a season-best performance to take second place. She was followed by her teammate Yuka Kiyama in third, and Norsilawati Sa’at in fourth. Mexico’s Lucía Sosa Vázquez also contributed to the depth of the field with a personal best performance in fifth place, while Kerry Morgan secured the gold medal.

Despite all five athletes—representing four nations—meeting the minimum qualifying standard and producing competitive performances, their combined efforts ultimately did not prevent the event’s exclusion from the pathway to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The athletes were Kerry Morgan (USA), Teruyo Tanaka (Japan), Yuka Kiyama (Japan), Norsilawati Sa’at (Singapore), and Lucía Sosa Vázquez (Mexico).

There are differing views on how the IPC arrived at its decision to remove the only T52 women’s event in para-athletics. Some argue that the decision appears to be at odds with the guiding principles of the Paralympic Sports Programme, which emphasises excellence, diversity, universality, integrity, and sustainability.

The Paralympic Movement risks drifting away from its historical foundations if decisions are driven primarily by modern performance demands and structural constraints. This raises a broader concern about the future direction of para sport.

For many participating nations, the reduction in events limits competitive opportunities for para athletes and creates frustration. In response, stronger and more sustainable development planning is needed from the international governing bodies responsible for each sport to ensure events remain viable and inclusive. National Paralympic Committees alone cannot be expected to carry this burden.

While clear and stringent classification and competition rules are necessary, they should not come at the expense of eliminating events that still require support, development, and global exposure.

The excerpt from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games – Athletics Qualification Regulations indicates that certain allocation provisions may be used to safeguard the viability of medal events. If so, why does this principle not appear to apply to the Women’s T52 100m event?

It appears inconsistent—almost as if such provisions are applied selectively, depending on circumstance, and disregarded when inconvenient. Was sufficient consideration given to the impact of removing this event, particularly on the five para-athletes whose opportunities to compete at the highest level have effectively been taken away? This is not a case involving only a small or negligible number of athletes.

If, as stated by the IPC, five athletes from four nations were deemed ineligible for not meeting the minimum criteria—despite the earlier referenced provisions—then a key question arises: which IPC-published criteria are we missing, or is there an inconsistency in how these regulations are being interpreted and applied?

Or eventually, the IPC could apply the controversial blanket rule of “… reserve the right to either cancel such events…”, leaving the situation highly ambiguous. Nevertheless, all affected nations were left dumbfounded by the IPC’s decision, and there is at least no doubt about that.