Organisers today announced that the rescheduled Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5 in 2021.

"It is fantastic news that we could find new dates so quickly for the Tokyo 2020 Games," Parsons said.

"The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world. 

"When the Paralympic Games do take place in Tokyo next year, they will be an extra-special display of humanity uniting as one, a global celebration of human resilience and a sensational showcase of sport. 

"With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 days away, the priority for all those involved in the Paralympic Movement must be to focus on staying safe with their friends and family during this unprecedented and difficult time."

The Games were postponed last week because of the escalating coronavirus pandemic. 

COVID-19 has now claimed more than 37,000 lives and Government restrictions on movement in many countries are making it hard for athletes to train, so the postponement was generally received well and several National Paralympic Committees have come out in support of the new dates, which give clarity and a new target to aim for.

Mike Sharrock, chief executive of the British Paralympic Association, said: “We recognise the huge collective effort of the International Paralympic Committee, International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tokyo Organising Committee and the Japanese Government on agreeing the new dates so quickly.

"We hope this will give Paralympic athletes the certainty they need to refocus on achieving their goals at the Tokyo Games next year.

"We recognise many challenges still lie ahead in the battle with the global COVID-19 pandemic and athletes will not be able to return to their training schedules for some time yet.

"The clear priority now is stemming this public health crisis and ensuring people follow the Government advice to stay safe and well.

"Our planning for the Games will continue throughout this time to ensure ParalympicsGB can inspire the nation once again."

Marc-André Fabien, President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, echoed those sentiments and thanked organisers for "rapidly making a decision".

"We commit to doing our part to make the Games a success," Fabien added.

"This now gives our entire sport community a true sense of clarity and a way to move forward.

"Now we, alongside our national sport organisations, partners, and athletes, can start preparations knowing we all will unite in Tokyo next summer, one year on from planned, and be able to celebrate how sport brings people together."

The President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee (BPC), Anne d'Ieteren, said it was "delighted" a decision had been made swiftly.

"The postponement of the Games is a real earthquake for the Belgian Paralympic Movement but we can guarantee that the BPC will do everything in its power to ensure that Belgian participation in the Games is successful in every way."

Paralympics Ireland also welcomed the announcement, with chief executive Miriam Malone saying the organisation would be now be listening to expert health advice and prioritising athlete safety in planning for the rearranged Games.

"This gives more certainty to our athletes, their support teams and our own high-performance team who can now plan their preparations for the competition," Malone explained.

"Our focus is now to ensure that any Irish athletes that compete at the Tokyo Games will be at their physical peak for the Games."

Originally, the Paralympics were to be held between August 25 and September 6 this year, meaning they have moved by just one day in terms of position on the calendar.

There had been some talk of moving them into Japanese spring, when temperatures would be cooler, but the new dates allow a longer period for the coronavirus pandemic to be brought under control.

Some Para sport championships may have to be moved to accommodate the new schedule, but an IPC spokesperson last week told insidethegames that organisers of those events have shown a "willingness to be flexible".