There are five years to go before Tokyo hosts the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games. It is hoped that the international sports event will help increase public interest in the activities of disabled athletes. Japan has set a target of coming in seventh or higher in the 2020 games in terms of the number of gold medals. But that should not be considered the primary goal for Japan's Paralympics movement. More important is that sports for disabled people will spread as a part of everyday life in this country.
Disabled athletes face obstacles in their activities in Japan. The public and private sectors need to make serious efforts to remove them. They are confronted with a shortage of sports facilities, volunteers to support them and coaches willing to guide their training. It is hoped that as the Tokyo Paralympics draws near, these problems will be resolved one by one until the general situation surrounding disabled athletes will have greatly improved by the time the 2020 games are held.
Fitness clubs are flourishing across Japan, attracting health-conscious citizens including middle-aged and senior citizens. However, many of these clubs do not provide facilities for disabled people to enjoy sports and very few of them are barrier-free. In fact, large numbers of fitness club operators refuse to accept disabled people on the grounds that they are not prepared to cope with possible accidents involving them.