ABILYMPICS OVERVIEW
Abilympics (Olympics of Abilities) are vocational skills competitions specifically designed for persons with disabilities to enable them to expose their unique talents. Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (JEED) has held Abilympics competitions since 1972to enrich lives of persons with disability by training and encouraging them to pursue their utmost potential.
The first Abilympics competition was held in Tokyo in 1981 to commemorate the United Nations’ International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP). Abilympics now takes place every four years, governed under the International Abilympic Federation, Japan, and has been internationally held in Tokyo, Japan (1981); Colombia (1985); Hong Kong (1989); Perth, Australia (1995); Prague, The Czech Republic (2000); New Delhi, India (2003); Shizuoka, Japan (2007); Seoul, South Korea (2011); Bordeaux, France (2016).