COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee joins fans around the world in marking the one-year countdown to the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The 2020 Games – which run from Aug. 25 - Sept. 6, 2020 – will welcome nearly 4,250 athletes from 160 expected countries. Athletes will compete in 22 sports with a total of 540 medal events. New to the Paralympic program in 2020 is the addition of badminton and taekwondo. The 2020 Games marks the second time Tokyo will welcome Paralympic athletes from around the world, having previously hosted the Paralympic Games in 1964.
Top Team USA Storylines to Watch
Can the Sweeps Repeat? - U.S. athletes recorded three podium sweeps in the sports of paratriathlon and track and field. As paratriathlon debuted at the 2016 Games, the U.S. trio of Allysa Seely, Hailey Danz and Melissa Stockwell swept the women’s PT2 podium. Since Rio, all three women have joined the resident training program at the Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they train side-by-side on their road to Tokyo. On the track, the “Mc-trio” of Tatyana McFadden, Chelsea McClammer and Amanda McGrory swept the podium in both the T54 5,000- and 1,500-meter events.
Trio of Teams Defending Gold - The men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams and the women's sitting volleyball team all brought home gold from Rio. Pending a top-three finish for the men's wheelchair basketball team, and a top-two finish for the women's team at the ongoing Parapan American Games Lima 2019, both teams will qualify to defend their Paralympic titles in Tokyo. The women's sitting volleyball team has already secured its spot in Tokyo by virtue of the second-place finish at the 2018 world championships.
Rising Star in Romanchuk - Daniel Romanchuk was only 18 years old when he competed in Rio and competed in the heats without advancing to the finals. Since then he has become a dominant force on the track and on the roads. He has won all of the major marathons in Chicago, New York, Boston and London, and currently holds the world record in the men's T54 classification of the 800- and 5,000-meter events.
Toyota presents USA House at the Paralympic Games
There will be a Team USA hospitality house for the first time at a Paralympic Games. Toyota presents USA House at the Paralympic Games will be a hub for U.S. athletes, U.S. Paralympic delegation members, partners and donors to share the excitement of the Games in a festive environment with fellow Team USA fans.
“I am so thrilled that we are going to have a USA House at the Paralympic Games,” said four-time Paralympian Jessica Long. “The Games are their own crazy environment, and I’m so looking forward to have a place that will be a comforting piece of home in the middle of Tokyo. I can’t thank the USOPC and Toyota enough for giving American athletes a place to come together and celebrate the amazing things that are going to happen in Tokyo.”
The house will be located in the heart of Tokyo at the Tokyo American Club, which is the same venue for the USA House during the Olympic Games. The house will be open by invitation only during the duration of the Games.
“Toyota is honored to partner with Team USA in presenting the first-ever USA House at the Paralympic Games,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president, Toyota Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “As a company dedicated to “mobility for all” and committed to a more inclusive society, we look forward to supporting the Paralympic movement by providing a ‘home away from home’ at the 2020 Games for the world-class Team USA Paralympic athletes, their families and friends.”
Paralympians Made Here Celebrates Countdown to Tokyo
Hundreds of student-athletes across the country are also training with Tokyo in mind. The Paralympians Made Here campaign will follow the journey of student-athletes from the classroom to the podium with an aim to increase awareness around Paralympic athletes who are currently competing or have competed in our country’s intercollegiate athletics system through both integrated and adapted opportunities. The campaign will run throughout the 2019-20 academic year in the lead-up to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The campaign has already celebrated 16 universities and colleges joining the joint-promotional campaign. Nearly 200 U.S. Paralympians have competed collegiately through those programs.
One year out takeover of TeamUSA.org
TeamUSA.org will be the home for the latest on Team USA's road to the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 beginning on Aug. 25. A dedicated Tokyo microsite with sport previews, news and more can be found at TeamUSA.org/2020Paralympics.
Social activations across the Team USA platforms
Team USA and U.S. Paralympics social channels will celebrate the one-year out milestone with new content and a focus on introducing fans of Team USA to Tokyo 2020 hopefuls in unique, engaging ways, including: one-year out graphic treatment across all social platforms and behind-the-scenes video content from summer athletes training across the world.
