The unnamed Japanese wheelchair basketball player was deemed not to comply with the IPC's classification rules ©Getty Images

A member of Japan’s women’s wheelchair basketball team has been denied a chance to compete at next year’s Paralympic Games after being ruled ineligible for Tokyo 2020.

According to a report by Kyodo News, the Japanese Wheelchair Basketball Federation said the unnamed player was deemed to not comply with the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) classification rules.

It is understood the ruling was accepted by the federation who decided against asking for a re-examination.

The report comes after the IPC ordered the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) to verify that 132 players across 4.0 and 4.5 classes were compliant with its classification.

Last month, the IWBF confirmed 119 players were cleared to play at the postponed Paralympic Games but nine were ruled ineligible.

Wheelchair basketball has lost its place at Paris 2024 but this could be reversed if the IWBF becomes "fully compliant" with the IPC Athlete Classification Code by August 2021.

Pressure group Global Athlete described the IPC's decision to omit players who are not classified from Tokyo 2020 as "illegal", claiming it violates the athlete’s rights.

Japan's women's wheelchair basketball team are looking forward to competing on a home court at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images
Japan's women's wheelchair basketball team are looking forward to competing on a home court at Tokyo 2020 ©Getty Images

The men’s and women’s teams from Australia, Canada, Britain, Germany and Spain have called for the IPC to allow the ineligible athletes to compete.

Athletes from the Colombian, South Korean and the Turkish men’s national teams as well as the Dutch women’s team have also pledged their support behind the call.

Last week, IPC President Andrew Parsons and Chelsey Gotell, the chairperson of the IPC Athletes' Council, published an open letter regarding the ongoing debate.

The IPC said it "sympathises greatly" with players found ineligible to compete at the Games but insisted the rules of the sport must be followed to ensure the integrity of the competitions.

"The IPC also wanted to avoid a repeat of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games when it was subsequently revealed that several non-eligible players had formed part of Spain's men's gold medal winning team in basketball ID (for athletes with an intellectual impairment)," the open letter added.

"The result was global news, huge reputational damage to the Paralympic Movement and the exclusion of intellectually impaired athletes from the Games until London 2012 following the introduction of a robust classification system and new eligibility criteria."