The 16th Tokyo Paralympics concluded yesterday, after nearly two weeks of competition among athletes with impairments from around the world, held despite many challenges stemming from the Coronavirus.
The ceremony at the National Stadium brought down the curtain on the games held almost entirely off-limits to the public as a result of the pandemic that threw eight years of preparations into disarray.
As was the case with the Olympics that ended on August 8, the ceremony opened in front of a sea of empty seats with only a number of officials and dignitaries, including Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, in attendance.
In a departure from the opening ceremony format, athletes were already seated in the middle of the venue from the beginning, cheering, clapping and waving flags, with some yelling ‘arigato (thank you) Japan.’
Despite a range of obstacles including COVID-19 travel protocols, a record number of approximately 4,400 athletes from 162 countries and regions, plus a small refugee team, competed at the Paralympics.
(Agencies)
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