"Fourteen of the 22 sports will be covered live, and, for the first time, outdoor sports such as triathlon, road cycling and the marathon from athletics will also benefit from live coverage. Such outdoor coverage will help further showcase the sites of the host city to viewers around the world, fulfilling a long-held ambition of many broadcasters."

A record 16 disciplines from 14 sports will be available for Rights Holding Broadcasters to show live from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has revealed.

Badminton, boccia, road cycling, goalball, triathlon and the marathon events in athletics – sports that are either new or were not covered at Rio 2016 - will all benefit from live coverage. This is thanks to the support of the IPC, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), who the IPC has appointed as host broadcaster to cover the Paralympic Games.

In addition to live coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, athletics, track cycling, football 5-a-side, judo, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis will also be made available live for broadcasters to show. At Rio 2016 and London 2012, 12 Paralympic disciplines were available for broadcasters to screen live.

Following Rio 2016, the IPC conducted a survey of many Rights Holding Broadcasters to see which sports they wanted to show live at future Games. With all broadcasters also expressing a desire to show more live sports, the IPC worked with Tokyo 2020 and OBS to increase the scope of broadcasting for the Games.

Most complete and in-depth coverage

Alexis Schaefer, the IPC’s Broadcasting and Commercial Director, said: “We are delighted that the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will benefit from the best, most complete and in-depth TV coverage yet for a Paralympic Games and that pictures will once again be provided by OBS.

“Since Rio 2016 we have worked closely with rights holders, Tokyo 2020 and OBS, to develop a comprehensive plan for the next Paralympic Games that caters for their needs. Rights holders not only told us they want to show more live sports, but also which sports their viewers want to see the most.

“By listening to the views of broadcasters, and thanks to the tremendous support of Tokyo 2020, we will be able to show more live sport than ever before. Fourteen of the 22 sports will be covered live, and, for the first time, outdoor sports such as triathlon, road cycling and the marathon from athletics will also benefit from live coverage. Such outdoor coverage will help further showcase the sites of the host city to viewers around the world, fulfilling a long-held ambition of many broadcasters.

“With the sales of broadcasting rights for Tokyo 2020 continuing, any additional revenue generated that is above and beyond what we have forecasted will be invested back into the broadcasting plan. This means that there is potential for us to cover even more sports live should the additional budget become available.”

Strengthening exposure

“As Host Broadcaster, we are dedicated to strengthening the exposure of the Paralympic athletes on television and digital media through powerful storytelling and increased levels of event coverage,” said Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services.

“We are proud to further our commitment to provide broadcasters and audiences around the world with even greater access to Paralympic sports for the Tokyo 2020 Games through this unprecedented coverage plan.”

The Rio 2016 Paralympics broke all broadcasting records. The Games were covered by television, radio and online outlets in a record 154 countries and were watched by a record cumulative TV audience of 4.1 billion people.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take place between 25 August and 6 September.