Top-level disabled and able-bodied athletes have started competing against one another in some sports, such as table tennis and shooting, in the wake of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held in 2021.
The move is expected to improve the performance of disabled athletes and help realize an inclusive society through sports.
The Japan Table Tennis Association, which sponsors the All-Japan table tennis championships, the country's premier table tennis event, has set aside recommendation-based slots for disabled athletes for the first time. The six slots, which will be introduced in the next championships in January 2024, are allocated to one man and one woman athlete from each of the table tennis organizations for the physically, hearing and intellectually impaired.
