Priya Bharti The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo was a motivating affair because it was filled with emotional performances, sending out a strong message to the world.
On Tuesday, India was represented by para-javelin athlete Tek Chand as India entered the Parade of Nations as the 17th nation.
Rio Olympic gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu was assumed to be India’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony, but the tall jumper went into segregation after coming into near contact with a Covid-19 positive traveler on his trip to Tokyo. In any case, Mariyappan and the other competitors who went into segregation have returned negative tests.
Tek Chand went with 8 authorities as India, who will be spoken to by its greatest ever unexpected of 54 athletes, made it to the Olympics Stadium.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was watching the Paralympic opening ceremony in New Delhi. PM Modi also sent his wishes to the Paralympic contingent.
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1430138565455859718?s=20
For the first time in 57 a long time, the Paralympics have returned to Tokyo making the Japanese capital the primary ever city to host the Games twice. The ceremony was set in a ‘Para Airport’ — a symbol of differences and incorporation — and started with a video that delineated the strength of para-athletes. Within the video, a gentle breeze turns into a tremendous blast of wind that comes to the stadium and sweeps through the field of play.
The Paralympic flame was light-up after the hail of the Paralympics was raised alongside the Japanese national flag at the Olympic stadium. Strikingly, the cauldron was filled with Hydrogen as the Games aims to be carbon-neutral. Following this, a bunch of crew members, who work at the airport, start a commencement at the conclusion of which firecrackers light up the night sky to celebrate the beginning of the Games.
Before this, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons and Japanese Emperor Naruhito were welcomed to the stadium taking after which the Japanese flag was carried to the stage by six people including Kaori Icho, four-times Olympic free-form wrestling winner, and Takumi Astani, a protest rescue worker. This edition of the show-stopper will highlight an unprecedented 4403 athletes.
The previous record was 4328 which was set at the Rio 2016 Games.
The Tokyo edition will have 2550 male athletes and 1853 female competitors competing for the best honors. India is being represented by its largest-ever delegation of 54 athletes in competitions spread across 12 days. Indian athletes will take part in 9 sports as expectations have hit the roof with the nation getting behind the para-athletes.
