Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games

Bejino finishes last among 20 swimmers in his final event in the Tokyo Paralympics. He ends his stint without a finals berth. — Luisa Morales

Filipino para swimmer Gary Bejino finishes sixth in Heat 1 of the men’s 400-meter freestyle with 5:52.28

He needs to finish in the top eight after two Heats to advance to the medal rounds. — Luisa Morales

Filipino para swimmer Ernie Gawilan finishes last in his heat with a time of 1:21.60 in the Men's 100 meter Backstroke S7 classification.

Gawilan places 10th overall, signaling the end of his tournament. — report from Kristofer Purnell

Jerrold Mangliwan finishes fourth in Heat 1 of the Men's 400meter - T52, he misses out on an outright berth to the Final. He still can book a slot though, if he is among the next two fastest after the Top 3 finishers in the Heats. — Luisa Morales

Swimmer Gary Bejino finishes sixth in his heat with 3:17.19. 

He's not going through to the finals for this event as only the Top 8 swimmers go through.

The para swimmer competes again on Monday in the men's 50-meter butterfly S6. — Luisa Morales

Tokyo's Paralympic Games open with athletes hoping to shatter stereotypes and world records despite a year-long pandemic delay and as Japan battles a surge in virus cases.

The Games will officially be declared open on Tuesday evening by Japan's Emperor Naruhito but virus rules mean most of the stadium's 68,000 seats will be empty.

Still, the excitement is clear among the 4,400 athletes from 162 teams taking part this year. — AFP

The Paralympic flame arrives in Tokyo on Friday as virus cases hit fresh records nationwide just four days before the Games begin.

Japan's daily infections topped 25,000 for the first time on Thursday, with the number of severe cases also higher than ever as the nation battles a fifth wave driven by the more contagious Delta variant.

As Tokyo prepares to host the top sporting event for athletes with disabilities, organisers urged participants to follow virus rules with increased vigilance. — AFP

A global campaign aimed at ending discrimination towards the world's 1.2 billion people with disabilities kicked off Thursday spearheaded by Paralympic chiefs and backed by a broad group of international organisations.

The campaign, called WeThe15, aims to "be the biggest ever human rights movement", representing the 15 percent of the world's population estimated by the UN to have a disability.

Backed by corporate muscle and bringing together organisations from the worlds of sport, human rights, policy, and arts and entertainment, the launch comes less than a week before the Tokyo Paralympics open on August 24.

"We believe that it's really going to be a game-changer," International Paralympic Committee head Andrew Parsons told AFP. — AFP

Spectators will be barred from the Tokyo Paralympics over coronavirus fears, organisers said Monday, as Japan battles record infections despite emergency measures in several parts of the country.

The decision for the Paralympics, which open on August 24, had been widely expected and follows similar rules in place for the Olympics.

The Games come with Japan facing a new wave of virus cases and states of emergency in place in six regions. — AFP

Japan holds its first Paralympic flame-lighting ceremonies on Thursday, with athletes waiting to learn whether spectators will be in the stands as the country battles a spike in virus cases.

Fans were banned from almost all venues at the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics, which ended Sunday, while athletes faced restrictions on movement and were tested daily.

The Paralympics are expected to take place under similar conditions when they begin on August 24, Japanese media says, with an official decision on spectators expected early next week. — AFP

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez says the the allowance of the country's team seeing action in the Tokyo Paralympics has been increased from $1,000 (P50,000) to $3,000 (P150,000). 

Bookmark this page for updates on the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games. Photo courtesy of AFP/Philip Fong.