The Japanese Paralympic Committee has decided to name wheelchair tennis star Shingo Kunieda as captain of the host country's delegation at this summer's Tokyo Paralympics, an official familiar with the matter said Friday.
Kunieda, ranked No. 1 in the world, is set to compete in his fifth straight Paralympics when the games open on Aug. 24. He won the men's singles golds at the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games.
The JPC plans to officially announce Kunieda as captain of the delegation, the largest-ever Japanese Paralympic team with over 200 athletes, on Friday, the official said.
The 37-year-old Kunieda, who started playing wheelchair tennis in his final year in elementary school, booked a ticket to the Paralympics after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia.
The Tokyo Paralympics, which will close on Sept. 5, will feature 22 sports consisting of 539 events.