While many eyes tuned in for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics that took place in July 2021, another major international sports competition took place at the end of August—the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The Paralympics are a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games. Developing from a 1948 sports competition for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries, the Paralympics has grown to welcome more than 4,500 athletes in 2021 to compete in 539 events across 22 sports.