A 272-athlete field is scheduled for the World Para Swimming-recognized 2026 Japan Para Swimming Competition at Yokohama International Swimming Pool from September 19 through 21. The Japan Para Sports Association, or JPSA, has published a participant roster, preliminary start sheets, a competition timetable and three breakdowns of the field.
The headline number divides into 191 men and 81 women as of August 21. Yet it is a registration snapshot, not a final attendance total. The organizer says the documents may be updated, and official practice and classification take place on September 18. Medical withdrawals and classification outcomes can still affect who swims, in which class and in which lane.
A Field Dominated Numerically by the S14 Category
JPSA’s impairment-category table lists 163 athletes with intellectual impairments, 77 with physical impairments, 16 with visual impairments and 16 with hearing impairments. Those figures describe this event’s accepted entry list; they are not population estimates and should not be read as a measure of participation in para swimming across Japan.
| Category | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intellectual impairment | 121 | 42 | 163 |
| Physical impairment | 50 | 27 | 77 |
| Visual impairment | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| Hearing impairment | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Total | 191 | 81 | 272 |
Tokyo supplies the largest single jurisdictional entry at 41 swimmers, followed by Gifu Prefecture with 17. Hyogo Prefecture and the City of Yokohama each list 14, and Aichi Prefecture lists 12. The organizer counts prefectures and designated cities separately. Kanagawa Prefecture’s six, Yokohama’s 14, Kawasaki’s nine and Sagamihara’s two therefore cannot be treated as four comparable prefectures.
The roster offers several recognizable reference points. Keiichi Kimura is entered in the SB11 100-meter breaststroke and S11 100-meter butterfly. Takayuki Suzuki is listed for the S4 100 freestyle and SB3 50 breaststroke. Uchu Tomita appears in the S11 400 and 100 freestyle, while Naohide Yamaguchi is entered in the SB14 100 breaststroke and the S14 100 backstroke and butterfly. Aira Kinoshita has five listed events, and Ayano Tsujiuchi has four. Spellings, readings, affiliations and entries follow the organizer’s Japanese roster; listing does not guarantee a start.
One Heat Can Contain Several Classes
The preliminary sheets group swimmers by entry time rather than separating every class into its own heat. The rules require a preliminary even when no more than eight athletes are scheduled in a class. Up to the eight fastest swimmers within each class can advance to that class’s final.
That format changes how spectators should read a race. A swimmer can touch ahead of the athlete in the next lane without taking first place in that neighboring swimmer’s class. The visible heat is an operating unit; medals and records are evaluated within the applicable class and event rules.
The class prefix changes with the stroke: S covers freestyle, backstroke and butterfly; SB identifies breaststroke; and SM identifies individual medley. The meet regulations apply World Para Swimming rules to S1 through S14. S15, used here for deaf swimmers, follows Japan Swimming Federation rules aligned with World Aquatics, while the domestic S21 class follows Japan Para Swimming Federation rules.
The start sheets also include a classification status and a Code of Exception. Status entries indicate whether a class is confirmed or subject to review, among other national and international categories. Codes of Exception tell officials which technical-rule exceptions apply to an athlete; they are not a ranking or an assessment of effort.
Under the event regulations, certain physically impaired swimmers with L, LR or time-limited LR status must undergo classification on September 18. The number of assessment places is limited, and the organizer warns that an athlete who cannot be assessed may be unable to compete. That is why a published start sheet should be treated as a detailed plan rather than the final historical record of the meet.
Twenty-Four Events Across Three Days
The program contains 12 men’s and 12 women’s events. Each has a preliminary and final program number, taking the printed schedule to No. 48. September 19 covers the 200 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 backstroke and 400 freestyle. September 20 brings the 100 breaststroke, 150 and 200 individual medley, and 100 freestyle. The final day has the 100 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, 50 backstroke and 50 freestyle.
Friday, September 18 — Official practice and classification
Saturday, September 19 — Preliminaries at 10:00; finals at 15:30
Sunday, September 20 — Preliminaries at 10:00; finals at 15:30
Monday, September 21 — Preliminaries at 9:30; finals at 13:30
JPSA describes the meet as a WPS-approved-plus competition. Performances become WPS-recognized results only for athletes who have both a current WPS licence and completed international classification. The regulations also say results may inform future development activity. That is an institutional use of the meet, not an announcement that every entrant is being selected for a national team.
The Documents to Check Again
The venue is in Kitayamada, Tsuzuki Ward. JPSA says it will operate a free shuttle between Kitayamada Station on the Yokohama Municipal Subway Green Line and the pool during official practice and competition from September 18 through 21. Capacity, road conditions and timetable changes can affect service, so the latest organizer notice should control any travel plan.
What Remains Provisional
- The participant roster and preliminary start sheets are dated August 21
- Classification on September 18 can affect eligibility and class placement
- Finalists and final lanes will be posted after each preliminary session
- Withdrawals, final attendance, results and spectator totals are not yet known
The new documents do more than advertise famous names. They show the size of each participation category, the heavy numerical weight of S14 entries, the geographic reach of the field and the procedural work behind a fair para-swimming meet. The final story will not be complete until classification is finished and the last swimmer touches the wall.
- Japan Para Sports Association: 2026 event guide (updated August 26; official portal for the roster, schedule, start sheets and field tables; Japanese)
- JPSA participant roster (names, Japanese readings, romanization, affiliations and entered events as of August 21; Japanese PDF)
- JPSA preliminary start sheets (heats, lanes, classes, statuses and Codes of Exception as of August 21; Japanese PDF)
- JPSA impairment-category totals and prefecture/designated-city totals (Japanese PDFs)
- JPSA: event and entry announcement (official title, venue, eligibility materials and meet regulations; Japanese)
- JPSA event regulations (dated August 17; organizers, competition method, rules, classification and record recognition; Japanese PDF)
- Japan Para Swimming Federation: 2026 J-FCS classification rules (S, SB and SM definitions and domestic classes; Japanese PDF)
- Japan Para Swimming Federation: 2026 business plan (distinguishes the Yokohama Japan Para meet from the November Japanese Para Swimming Championships in Himeji; Japanese PDF)
Japan.co.jp checked Japanese primary material from JPSA and the Japan Para Swimming Federation available through the morning of August 31, 2026. Field and regional totals are dated August 21 and are not final attendance figures. Athlete names, readings, romanizations, affiliations, classes and entries follow JPSA documents, but publication does not guarantee participation or completion. September 18 classification outcomes, medical withdrawals, finalists, confirmed final lanes, final attendance, results, spectator totals and broadcast arrangements were unresolved or unpublished and are not presented as facts.