Tokyo 2009 Asian Youth Para Games - Final Push to 2016

As Tokyo enters the final stages of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games bidding race, Tokyo 2016 has given an enthusiastic welcome to the start of the Tokyo 2009 Asian Youth Para Games. Almost 500 young people with disabilities from across the continent will compete over three days of elite competition in Japan’s capital.

The events’ slogan, ‘Your Dreams, Our Legacy’, gives inspiration to young athletes between the ages of 14 and 19 to compete in major venues, engage with international peers and contribute to strengthened bonds between Asian nations and the growth of the Paralympic Movement. These aims and values are shared by Tokyo 2016, which is setting the stage for heroes with the most compact, sustainable and athlete-friendly Olympic and Paralympic Games plan in history.

To watch the recorded broadcasts of the events at the Tokyo 2009 Asian Youth Para Games, click here.

Final Push to 2016

The IOC will meet in Copenhagen on October 2 to determine the host of the 2016 Summer Games. An invitation from the Tokyo 2016 bid committee has been extended to Japan’s incoming prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and Crown Prince Naruhito to join them in support of the bid’s judgment day in Denmark. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish King Juan Carlos have announced they will go attend. It was announced today that Michelle Obama will be carrying the torch on behalf of her hubbie, and lead a delegation to Copenhagen in a final push for Chicago’s Olympic bid.