Asian Para Games

The largest multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities in Asia, organized by the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) and held every four years in conjunction with the Asian Games.

Asian Para Games

Overview

The Asian Para Games are the largest multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities in Asia, organized by the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC). Held every four years in the same year as the Asian Games, the first edition took place in Guangzhou, China, in 2010. The Games follow the regulations and classification system of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and serve as a stepping stone that provides para athletes from across Asia with international competition experience and opportunities to qualify for the Paralympics.

Key Details

History and Origins

The predecessor of the Asian Para Games was the FESPIC Games (Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled), which began in Oita, Japan, in 1975. FESPIC was effectively the only international multi-sport event for disability sports in the Asia-Pacific region and was held about ten times until 2006. In 2002, disability sports organizations from across Asia gathered in Busan and established the APC, where discussions began on integrating FESPIC into a single Asian event. As a result, the first Asian Para Games were held in Guangzhou in 2010. Since then, the Games have generally been held in the Asian Games host city two to four weeks after the Asian Games.

Sports and Classification

The Games include around 20 sports, including athletics, swimming, cycling, archery, shooting, judo, powerlifting, table tennis, badminton, rowing, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, goalball, sitting volleyball, 5-a-side and 7-a-side football, and boccia. A notable feature is the inclusion of many sports that have been adapted and developed for specific impairment types, such as boccia, goalball, and sitting volleyball. All athletes are assigned a class under the functional classification rules recognized by the IPC, with subdivisions designed to ensure fair competition by impairment type, including visual impairment (B1–B3), intellectual impairment, and physical impairment (amputation, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, etc.). During the Games, a classification committee operates continuously to handle classification appeals.

Past Games

| Edition | Year | Host | Notes |

| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| 1st | 2010 | Guangzhou, China | First Games after the name change to Asian Para Games |

| 2nd | 2014 | Incheon, South Korea | About 40 countries participated; expanded across Asia |

| 3rd | 2018 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Held in the same city as the Asian Games |

| 4th | 2022 (held in 2023) | Hangzhou, China | Postponed by one year due to COVID-19; about 3,000 participants from 44 countries |

| 5th | 2026 | Aichi-Nagoya, Japan | Aiming for the largest scale in history |

Operations and Features

The Games have an athletes' village, media center, and medical support systems similar to those of the Asian Games, but the proportion of support staff per athlete and medical and rehabilitation support is much higher. Barrier-free routes at venues and accommodation, wheelchair repair and charging services, equipment storage, and interpretation and sign language support are stipulated as mandatory operational items. In addition to coaches, each national delegation typically includes classification experts, physical therapists, and mechanics.

South Korea's Participation

South Korea hosted the 2014 Incheon Games, accumulating event infrastructure and operational know-how, and has since maintained top-tier results at each Games. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, it won medals in boccia, table tennis, shooting, archery, swimming, athletics, and other sports, finishing fourth overall. Domestically, the Korea Paralympic Committee is responsible for athlete development and training support, while training of disability sports coaches and operation of standing national teams by sport are carried out in parallel.

Latest Trends

With the 2024 Paris Paralympics as a catalyst, broadcasts and media exposure of disability sports increased significantly, and this trend is influencing preparations for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games. Along with expanding the scale of the Games, the APC has set strengthening digital accessibility—such as real-time streaming of competition footage and production of short-form content for social media—as a key task. In 2024–2025, international standardization of classification regulations has been underway, with discussions continuing on merging and adjusting classes in some sports, and countries are focusing on generational change and discovering new talent after the Paris Paralympics. In addition, the sustainability of Games operations (reuse of venues, reduction of carbon emissions) and programs linking athletes with disabilities to careers and employment have emerged as new agendas, and the possibility of integrating esports and para sports is being explored on a pilot basis. As disability sports budgets are expanding in Asian countries, competition at future Games is expected to become even more intense.

Related Topics

  • [[Paralympics]]
  • [[Asian Games]]
  • [[Asian Paralympic Committee]]
  • [[Boccia]]
  • [[Disability sports]]