• Over three million requests for tickets in first lottery phase • Parsons: ‘This shows appetite Japanese society has for games’

There have been more than three million requests for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics tickets in the first lottery phase, three times the demand a year before London 2012 that went on to post record sales.

London is seen as the benchmark for the IPC in terms of interest in the Games with a record of 2.7m tickets sold.

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“We have some very good numbers on ticket sales,” Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, said. “We had 3.1m ticket requests. It is an unprecedented number, three times more than in London [one year before the start of Games] and London was the most successful Paralympic Games so far. This shows the appetite that Japanese society has for the Olympic Games next year.“

About 600,000 tickets were allocated during the first lottery. In Tokyo 2020’s bid for the Games, organisers said there would be only 2.3m tickets for the Paralympics but organisers are hopeful more tickets will be made available.

“It is a positive surprise and it is paying off all the efforts, not only of the IPC but also Tokyo 2020, the levels of government, the media and Japanese society,” Parsons said.

“They are engaged. If you think of the last wheelchair rugby tournament a few weeks ago and the enthusiasm of the spectators, this is a country where people have fallen in love with Paralympic sport.“

Paralympic sports have grown in popularity in Japan, frequently appearing on television and often given equal billing to the Olympics in the buildup to Tokyo 2020. In October, the World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge drew big crowds and with Japan the world champions in the sport, it is likely to be one of the most popular events next year.

While the Olympic marathons have been moved to the northern city of Sapporo to avoid the worst of Tokyo’s summer heat, Parsons said it was likely all Paralympic events would remain in Tokyo as scheduled.