After a thrilling Olympic Games, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take over from August 24 to September 5, 2021. This will be the 16th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games, which bring athletes all around the world with a range of disabilities.
The Games were originally scheduled to take place between 25 August and 6 September 2020, but as the Olympic Games, they had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the excitement for another edition is the same.
This year, the Paralympics will feature 22 sports. Among them, Badminton and Taekwondo will make their debuts. This will be the second Summer Paralympics to be held in Tokyo since the 164 Games. Here, check out the schedule and important dates.
2021 Paralympics: Complete Schedule
In this edition of the Paralympics, 4,537 athletes of 163 nations will be participating in the 540 events in 22 sports. The cycling events will be split into road and track disciplines. Also, there are team events such as goalball, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. Here, check out the complete schedule (all days ET):
| Sport | Dates |
| Archery | August 26 (Thursday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Athletics | August 26 (Thursday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Badminton | September 1 (Wednesday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Boccia | August 27 (Friday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Cycling (Road) | August 30 (Monday) – September 3 (Friday) |
| Cycling (Track) | August 24 (Tuesday) – August 27 (Friday) |
| Equestrian | August 24 (Tuesday) – August 29 (Sunday) |
| Football 5-a-side | August 28 (Saturday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Goalball | August 25 (Wednesday) – September 3 (Friday) |
| Judo | August 27 (Friday) – September 3 (Friday) |
| Paraconoe | September 1 (Wednesday) – September 3 (Friday) |
| Paratriathlon | August 27 (Friday) – August 28 (Saturday) |
| Powerlifting | August 25 (Wednesday) – August 30 (Monday) |
| Rowing | August 26 (Thursday) – August 28 (Saturday) |
| Shooting | August 28 (Saturday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Sitting volleyball | August 26 (Thursday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Swimming | August 24 (Tuesday) – September 3 (Friday) |
| Table tennis | August 24 (Tuesday) – September 3 (Friday) |
| Taekwondo | September 1 (Wednesday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Wheelchair basketball | August 24 (Tuesday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
| Wheelchair fencing | August 24 (Tuesday) – August 29 (Sunday) |
| Wheelchair rugby | August 24 (Tuesday) – August 29 (Sunday) |
| Wheelchair tennis | August 26 (Thursday) – September 4 (Saturday) |
Paralympics 2021: Key dates
Opening ceremony: It will be held on August 24, at 7 AM (ET) in Tokyo, the Japanese capital. In contrast with the Olympic Games, there are no competitions before the Opening ceremony. They will start that same day.
First gold medal ceremony: On August 24, there are three competitions for the gold medal: Cycling (Track), Swimming and Wheelchair fencing. Also, on that day, goalball, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby start their competitions.
Closing ceremony: The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games conclude on September 5. In the Closing Ceremony, the torch will pass to the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.