IWRF Announces 2021 Paralympic Qualifying Teams

Teams who have already qualified will stay qualified for 2021 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan

Teams who have already qualified will stay qualified for 2021 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan

The International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) announced Wednesday (April 1) that it will comply with the International Paralympic Committees recommendation that the teams who qualified for the postponed 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo will remain qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games.

Those eight teams are the United States; Australia; Canada; Denmark; France; Great Britain; Japan; and New Zealand. The rescheduled 2020 Paralympic Games will run Aug. 24-Sept. 5, 2021, in Japan.

IWRF President Richard Allcroft made the announcement Wednesday in a press release.

The eight nations qualified to compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, originally taking place in August 2020, will maintain their allocations and remain qualified for the Paralympic Games, which are now scheduled to begin Aug. 24, 2021,” says Allcroft.

Canada and France advanced from the IWRF 2020 Paralympic Qualifier in early March in Richmond, British Columbia. Australia and New Zealand advanced from the 2019 IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship in Gangneung, South Korea.

The U.S. advanced from winning the IWRF 2019 Americas Championship in Lima, Peru. Great Britain and Denmark qualified from the 2019 IWRF European Championship in Vejle, Denmark, while Japan had already qualified as the host nation.

In March, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics were postponed because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and last week the new dates were announced. International Olympic Committee, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials made the decision, citing three main considerations – to protect the health of athletes and everyone involved, to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus and to safeguard the interest of the athletes and of Olympic and Paralympic sport and the global international sports calendar.

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