2020 Paralympics: Cycling included for Tokyo Games but also warned
Last Updated: 31/01/15 10:22pm
Para-cycling has had a reprieve and a warning after it was announced it would now be part of the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Para-cycling was one of eight sports facing exclusion in the Paralympics in Japan after a mistake in the application process by its world governing body, the UCI.
The Paralympics could have up to 23 sports but the IPC has opted for 22, with badminton and taekwondo included for the first time, while seven-a-side football and sailing missed out.
The para-cycling programme could yet be reduced as the IPC expressed concerns over the track competition in particular.
Riders have previously expressed a frustration at the lack of high-calibre competition between Games, which is the responsibility of the UCI.
After the announcement in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, IPC president Sir Philip Craven said: "Although the IPC governing board approved the inclusion of cycling, it did express serious reservations regarding the sustainability of the track cycling discipline.
"While a decision on the Tokyo 2020 medal events programme will not be made until 2017, the board encourages the UCI to work towards increasing both the number of high-performance track cyclists and the number of opportunities for them to compete at an international level."
Velodromes are expensive to build, so there could be Olympic implications if track cycling is left off the Paralympic programme.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be held from August 25 to September 6, 2020.
The IPC handbook states only team sports widely and regularly practised in a minimum of 24 countries and three IPC regions will be considered for inclusion in the Paralympic Games and for individual sports a minimum of 32 countries in three IPC regions.
Craven added: "After much debate, we decided not to include two sports - football 7-a-side and sailing - from the Tokyo 2020 programme for the same reason.
"Both did not fulfil the IPC Handbook's minimum criteria for worldwide reach."
Sixteen sports had been approved for inclusion last October, with six more included after Saturday's meeting.
The 22 sports included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are:
Athletics, archery, badminton, boccia, canoe, cycling, equestrian, football five-a-side, goalball, judo, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis
