Shingo Kunieda is seen in this file photo taken on Feb. 7, 2020 in Tokyo. (Mainichi)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Wheelchair tennis star Shingo Kunieda on Friday was named captain of Japan's largest ever Paralympic delegation, with over 220 athletes set to compete at this summer's Tokyo Games.

       The Japanese Paralympic Committee announced its first selection of 221 athletes for the Paralympics, which will open on Aug. 24. Goalball player Rie Urata will serve as vice captain, while Koyo Iwabuchi, a men's table tennis player, was named as one of the two flagbearers of the delegation.

       Kunieda, ranked No. 1 in the world, is set to compete in his fifth straight Paralympics. He won gold medals in the men's singles at the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Games.

       The 37-year-old Kunieda, who started playing wheelchair tennis in his final year in elementary school, booked a ticket to the Paralympics after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia.

       The Tokyo Paralympics, which will close on Sept. 5, will feature 22 sports consisting of 539 events.

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