TOKYO, August 24. /TASS/. The flame of the 16th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games was lit on Tuesday at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo during a spectacular opening ceremony.
Before the flame was lit to signal the start of the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Japanese Emperor Naruhito said speaking at the official opening ceremony: "I declare open the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games."
The 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan’s Tokyo are being held between August 24 and September 5.
In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced their decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the continuous COVID-19 spread.
The Japanese capital of Tokyo is the first city in the world to host the Paralympic Games twice as it previously hosted the Paralympics in 1964. A record number of 4,403 athletes from 161 countries and regions, as well as a small Refugee Team, are taking part in this year’s edition of the Paralympic Games.
The theme of the opening ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Japan was ‘We Have Wings.’
The President of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG), Seiko Hashimoto, and the IPC (the International Paralympic Committee) President Andrew Parsons delivered their speeches prior to the opening of the Paralympics in Tokyo.
"I cannot believe we are finally here," Parsons said. "Many doubted this day would happen. Many thought it impossible. But thanks to the efforts of many, the most transformative sport event on Earth is about to begin."
"The Paralympic Games are for sure a platform for change. But only every four years is not enough," the IPC chief stated. "It is up to each and every one of us to play out part, every day, to make for a more inclusive society in our countries, in our cities, in our communities."
Parsons thanked the hosts by saying: "We thank our hosts for trusting we can deliver safe Games for the athletes and officials, but also for Japanese society. From the bottom of my heart, arigato Japan! Arigato, Tokyo!"
Before the Paralympic fire was set ablaze, members of all participating countries marched at the Japan National Stadium. All national teams appeared in the Parade of Nations in line with the Japanese alphabetical order. The Parade of Nations was opened by the Refugee Team and was closed by the delegation of the hosting nation, Japan.
The team of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) athletes appeared as number 30 on the pitch of the Japan National Stadium during the Parade of Nations. Russia’s Andrei Vdovin and Yelena Pautova were the flag bearers of the national team at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan.
Vdovin, 27, specializes in 100-, 200-and 400-meter running and he is the six-time gold medal winner of world championships and addition to his five gold and one silver medal of the European Championships.
Pautova, 35, is the two-time Paralympic Champion in 1,500-meter women’s running, namely at the 2004 and 2012 Paralympic Games. She is also the winner of three Olympic bronze medals and packs four golds of the World Championships.
Team RPC at 2020 Summer Paralympics in Japan
The team of national athletes from Russia at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan includes 242 athletes, while the overall number of the RPC delegation in Tokyo stands at 432 people. The selected Paralympians from Russia are fighting for medals in 19 out of the 22 sports competitions, on the program of the quadrennial event.
Russian athletes are competing in the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem.
The national anthem of Russia is also under sanctions at the Paralympics in Japan. The First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky was selected to be played at awarding ceremonies for Russian Paralympians in Tokyo.
Sanctions against Russian sports
On December 17, 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland’s Lausanne partially upheld WADA’s (the World Anti-Doping Agency) previous ruling on a number of sanctions against Russian sports.
Following the CAS decision, Russian athletes were deprived of their right to participate in all World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games under the national flag of Russia for a two-year period.
The ruling of the Swiss-based court also stripped Russia of the right to bid for the organization of all international sports tournaments for a period of two years. WADA’s sanctions will be in force until December 2022.