In recent years, performance levels in Paralympic sports — such as the 100-meter sprint in athletics — have improved remarkably, in some cases approaching or surpassing those of non-disabled athletes. One major factor contributing to this trend is the rapid technological advancement of assistive devices, including prosthetic limbs used by athletes. These developments have had significant implications for the assessment of athletes’ physical abilities and for classification systems.

Furthermore, disparities in access to advanced equipment — stemming from national economic differences, gaps between high-performing and lower-performing athletes, and variations across disability types — raise concerns about equity and competitive fairness. It is also necessary to consider how increasingly sophisticated assistive technologies may influence athletes’ identities. This study indicates that the broader impact of technological innovation on the future of the Paralympic Games warrants further attention.

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This study examines how different narrative frames in media coverage of para-athletes influence readers’ empathic responses, interest in parasports, and subsequent information-seeking behavior (i.e., whether they sought additional information about the athlete featured in the article).

An online experiment was conducted with 600 adults residing in Japan, who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a disability narrative emphasizing the athlete’s efforts to overcome impairment, (b) an athletic narrative emphasizing effort and performance as an athlete, or (c) a control narrative presenting factual information in a neutral tone.

Empathy was measured using a multidimensional scale consisting of general empathy, closeness, pity, and reflective thoughts, while interest in parasports was assessed using an interest scale drawing on existing research. As a behavioral indicator, participants’ clicks on an in-article link labeled “See more information” were recorded.

Among the empathy components, only pity showed a significant difference across conditions, with the disability narrative eliciting higher levels of pity than the other two. No significant differences were observed for other empathy dimensions or for interest in parasports.

Regression analyses revealed that interest in parasports was positively associated with reflective thoughts and closeness. Information-seeking behavior was also promoted by higher interest, whereas pity had a significant negative effect—participants who felt stronger pity were less likely to engage in further information-seeking.

These findings suggest that narratives emphasizing disability tend to evoke pity, but such emotions do not necessarily enhance interest or behavioral intentions toward parasports; rather, they may inhibit active engagement.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the influence of disability status and place of residence on awareness and attitudes toward the Paralympic Games. An online survey of 5,000 residents in Japan was conducted, and two-way analysis of variance was performed using “current feelings after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games,” “the impact on the public and society,” and “future aspirations in parasports and sports” as dependent variables, with “disability status” and “place of residence” as independent factors.

The analysis indicated that respondents without disabilities evaluated the Tokyo Paralympic Games more positively than those with disabilities. In addition, individuals living in non-host cities showed more positive evaluations than those residing in Tokyo or other host cities. Notably, among residents of host cities outside Tokyo, those without disabilities rated the Games significantly more positively than those with disabilities.

Regarding the impact on the public and society of the Tokyo Paralympics, respondents without disabilities again held more positive views than people with disabilities. Residents of non-host cities also expressed more positive feelings compared with those living in Tokyo or other host cities. Moreover, even within the same residential area, people without disabilities held more positive evaluations, whereas those with disabilities tended to view the Games negatively, indicating a divergence in evaluations.

In contrast, disability status and place of residence exerted little influence on behavioral intentions related to parasports.

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This article examines how the distinctive characteristics of American President Donald Trump and his administration shape the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Drawing on the concept of “nationalist populism” (Singh 2021)—a political modality that intersects the boundaries of populism and nationalism—it argues that the Trump administration is transforming the Olympics and Paralympics, typically global instruments of inclusion, into a stage for exclusionary forms of national cohesion.

A central feature of this political style is its tendency to marginalize three groups: “non-national” actors such as foreign states and international organisations; domestic “elites” who maintain global ties; and racial, gender, or other “minorities.” Trump’s frequent appearances at sporting events have served as symbolic performances enacting the will of “the people,” his political base.

Applied to the Olympic and Paralympic context, this same logic would allow Trump to appropriate the Games’ inclusive discourse, reframing it as something to be enjoyed only by “real American people” and thereby legitimising exclusionary politics in the name of the people. As a result, while transgender athletes or immigrants deemed illegal risk being excluded, elite athletes—including Paralympians framed through narratives of “overcoming” disability—may be selectively incorporated into the category of the people and the nation.

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The purpose of this study is to explore how Olympic education and Paralympic and parasports education in national teacher-training universities in Japan have changed after the Tokyo 2020 Games and what challenges remain. We compared web syllabi for the academic years 2022 and 2025 from 36 universities with teacher education programs, examining the presence and number of courses based on keywords such as “Olympic,” “Paralympic,” and “parasports.” In addition, timelines of parasports policy and inclusive education policy were created to examine whether there was a corresponding relationship with the institutional environment.

The results showed that the implementation rate of Olympic and Paralympic-related courses stayed high, but the number of such courses slightly decreased, suggesting a partial contraction of the expansion observed in the period immediately before the Games began. In contrast, Paralympic and parasports courses increased, but were highly concentrated in a few universities and often depended on adjunct faculty members and special courses.

These patterns indicate that Paralympic and parasports education tends to rely on temporary projects or on the enthusiasm of individual faculty members, and contains the risk of stagnating or regressing within five years. To create a sustainable legacy, it is necessary to expand its placement to foundational courses such as methods of special needs education, and to embed it institutionally by linking it to the core curriculum of the teacher-training program and to policies for supporting students with disabilities.

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Japan and South Korea, hosts of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games respectively, have increasingly approached parasport as a legitimate sphere of sport policy—ranging from elite performance enhancement to broad-based grassroots development. This study compares the parasport policies of the two countries by examining (1) legislation, (2) relevant organizational structures, and (3) budgetary frameworks, and then assesses the significance and future prospects of parasport policy in both nations.

In both Japan and South Korea, early sports legislation—Japan’s Sports Promotion Act (1961) and Korea’s National Sports Promotion Act (1962)—did not incorporate disability sport, as disability sport was still largely understood within the domain of welfare policy. A major policy shift occurred in Japan in 2014, when parasport programs supervised by the Japan Sports Association for the Disabled and the Japanese Paralympic Committee were transferred from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, leading to a reorganization of the governance of parasport. In South Korea, the 2005 amendment to the National Sports Promotion Act established the Korea Paralympic Committee, and the Sports for the Disabled Division within the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism assumed responsibility for parasport policy.

Regarding the securing of financial resources for elite development and grassroots promotion, Japan relies heavily on sponsorship-related revenue, whereas South Korea depends primarily on central government funding. Ensuring stable and sustainable financial bases remains a key challenge for the future development of the parasport sectors in both countries.

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This paper traces the historical development and significance of para sports in Asia, focusing on the transition from the FESPIC Games to the Asian Para Games.

After the Tokyo 1964 Paralympic Games, the situation of people with a disability in Japan improved significantly. Dr. Yutaka Nakamura sought to bring similar benefits to people with a disability in Asian and South Pacific countries and devoted himself to the launch of the FESPIC Games, which was governed by the FESPIC Federation. The first FESPIC Games was held in Oita and Beppu, Japan in 1975. These pioneering events provided member countries with opportunities for competing in "multi-sports, multi-disability" Games, social participation, and mutual understanding across nations.

In accordance with the regional policy of the International Paralympic Committee, both the FESPIC Federation and the Asian Paralympic Council were dissolved in 2006. They were merged, incorporating the Middle East and Central Asia, to establish the Asian Paralympic Committee, which now organises the Asian Para Games. Japan played a central role in initiating and sustaining this regional para sports movement in both organisations. Today, the Asian Para Games contribute not only to competitive excellence but also to the social participation of people with a disability and broader social transformation. The upcoming Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games will mark fifty-one years since the inaugural FESPIC Games and highlight the enduring legacy of para sports in Asia.

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