Should the Paralympics and Olympics merge? As the games for athletes with disabilities begin in Tokyo today, some say all athletes should share the spotlight. 

At 12 years old, she had an accident roller-skating. Her injuries were so bad, she could no longer walk. But in May she learnt that she had been chosen for Britain's ParalympicThe Paralympics is an international sporting event for athletes with disabilities. It usually takes place just after the Olympic games. basketball team. 

It is 61 years since the first Paralympic Games. Four hundred athletes from 23 countries took part. This year there will be 4,537 athletes from 163 countries. They will compete in 22 sports, from volleyball to judo.

Before the Paralympics, some athletes with disabilities took part in the Olympics. The American gymnast George Eyser competed with an artificial leg in 1904. Karoly Takacs took part even though he had had an arm amputatedCutting off a limb in a surgical operation. . 

The Paralympics have become more and more popular in recent years. Almost three million tickets were sold for the London 2012 events. Four billion people watched the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro on TV.

But some feel there should be more done to tell the world about the challenges disabled people face. The blind French athlete Charles Catherine is one. He has friends who hold gold medals but find it hard to get jobs.

One answer is to merge the Olympics and Paralympics. But even Charles Catherine admits it would be hard to organise. 

Should the competitions merge?

Yes! It would be a big step forwards. When the modern Olympics began, it was thought impossible for women to take part. Now we take it for granted.

No! Including the Paralympics would mean many more competitors and events and the games would have to last longer. More importantly, the Paralympic events would be overshadowed by those for able-bodied athletes.