Photo/Illutration Shingo Kunieda returns a volley at a Tokyo Paralympic match on Sept. 4, 2021. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Shingo Kunieda, the most titled player in the history of wheelchair tennis, announced his retirement at age 38 from the sport he dominated for years.

Let us take this opportunity to celebrate his extraordinary achievements that spanned two decades, and also ponder the future of parasports.

After winning the doubles in the 2004 Athens Paralympics, Kunieda went on to capture a whopping 54 titles overall--including major events such as the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open--as well as other Paralympic Games titles.

In announcing his retirement as the world’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis player, Kunieda said, “I have done all that needed to be done.” These words expressed his sense of accomplishment and acceptance that he has nothing more to prove.

In 2009, he became one of the first professional para athletes in Japan, which required painstaking efforts to find sponsors while trying to raise society’s awareness by explaining the severity of the sport as well as the gratification it brought. A true pioneer in the field, Kunieda left an indelible mark on the sport. His presence and actions undoubtedly inspired and encouraged many fellow athletes.

Since that time, the circumstances surrounding parasports have continued to evolve.

A survey by the Nippon Foundation after the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 found that more than 80 percent of respondents were familiar with the nature of the Paralympics, and that more than 40 percent knew the names of at least one Japanese athlete who participated in the Games.

More than 40 percent of the respondents said the Paralympics had a positive impact on the public’s “interest in parasports” while in excess of 30 percent cited “interest in inclusive society.”

We can safely conclude that a synergy was created by the efforts of para-athletes such as Kunieda, and by Tokyo’s hosting of the Paralympic Games.

For parasports to really take off, however, much work still needs to be done. It is crucial to create an environment that presents ample options for people with disabilities hoping to compete internationally, or to simply enjoy sports.

Parasports organizations are small in scale, and many are understaffed. But with soccer and triathlon, organizations for para-athletes and those for non-disabled athletes have begun collaborating in recent years to jointly organize events and improve the environment for athletes.

Kunieda has referred to the “low hurdle” that separates disabled and non-disabled tennis players, and that is something other sports should aim for, too.

And further improvements are needed with regard to sports facilities, many of which have restrooms and locker rooms that are not designed for people with disabilities or have floors that are not designed to withstand damage that can occur during competitions using wheelchairs.

In addition to resolving such structural issues, we also hope for the revival and expansion of lessons and trial classes given by athletes at schools and community centers--programs that were fairly popular before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Aside from parasports competitions, it should also be possible to create new games that can be enjoyed together by everyone, such as balloon volleyball.

It is time to proceed to the next step, which is to bring in the “barrier-free mentality” to the equation.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 25

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