Japan Now! No.4-第16回夏季パラリンック東京大会の開幕 - 勇気と夢と称賛にあふれている世界へ－2020（2021）Opening of the 16th Summer Paralympic Tokyo Games-To the world full of courage, dreams and praise（August 24, 2021)

Japan Now! No.4-第16回夏季パラリンック東京大会の開幕　-　勇気と夢と称賛にあふれている世界へ－Opening of the 16th Summer Paralympic Tokyo Games-To the world full of courage, dreams and praise（August 24, 2021)

The opening ceremony of the Paralympics was held at the National Stadium from 8 pm on Tuesday, August 24, and the 13-day sports festival for the disabled began until September 5.

Since the end of The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, corona infections have spread rapidly throughout Japan, and a state of emergency has been declared in Tokyo and other places, making it an exceptional competition that does not allow the general public to enter all competition venues. The intense heat and humidity of Tokyo continues as usual. There are concerns about whether the athletes participating in the Paralympics will be able to perform or compete safely.

The Paralympic Games have been held in Tokyo for the second time in 57 years since 1964. It is also the first time that the Summer Games have been held twice in the same city.　In 1964, there were 378 athletes from 21 countries, but this time around 4,400 athletes from 161 countries / regions and as a refugee team participated, greatly expanding the scale of the tournament.

「私たちには翼がある」―この上なく感動的な開会式式典　"We have wings" -　the most moving opening ceremony

The opening ceremony was held by about 700 cast members, including people with disabilities who were selected by open recruitment auditions.

There was a countdown by dancers, a march of the Japanese flag led by children, a national anthem singing, and an admission march of participating athletes. Following the first half of the wing-themed story (the main character is "One-Winged Little Airplane", played by a 13-year-old second-year junior high school girl), and a greeting from the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Emperor His Majesty made the opening declaration. Then, the finale of the story with the theme of wings ("Decoration Truck or transformer truck?" With a picture of Ito Jakuchu（伊藤若冲）, a painter of the Edo period, appeared), and the lighting of the holy fire continued. The wing-themed story, including the girl's acting, music and dance, was drawn into the world of the story. Very great!

In the opening ceremony television broadcast, there was an explanation that "there are many athletes in the world who have become disabled due to the war, and 15% of the total population has some kind of disability."

It is said that the theme of this tournament is "to realize a symbiotic society（共生社会） in which people all over the world recognize the differences." I have no choice but to hope that the world will be at peace and that the ideal of a symbiotic society will be realized. And above all, I hope the athletes will perform at their best.