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Rio Paralympics Open! Japan aims for 10 gold medals
The 15th Paralympic Games Rio de Janeiro, the first Paralympics held on the South American continent, opened on September 7 (September 8 Japan time). The Games' slogan is "New World."
Approximately 4,300 athletes from 160 countries and regions will compete fiercely across 22 sports over 12 days.
Japan will field 132 athletes across 17 sports, aiming for 10 gold medals and a total of 40 medals.
Photo by Fort Kishimoto
The name "Paralympics" was officially adopted starting with the 1988 Seoul Games.
Originally coined as a portmanteau of "paraplegic" and "Olympic," it has evolved over time to include athletes with disabilities beyond paraplegia. Today, it is understood as a combination of "parallel" and "Olympic," signifying "another Olympic."
To ensure a level playing field, athletes are classified into categories based on the nature and degree of their disability for each sport. The Rio Paralympics featured 528 events, over 200 more than the Olympics, resulting in a corresponding increase in the number of medals awarded.
Amidst samba music, dazzling shows, and large-scale projection mapping displays, the athletes' parade of entry began. The Japanese delegation entered 82nd. Led by flag bearer Yui Uechi (wheelchair tennis), they marched with smiles and received particularly loud cheers from the audience.
Each national team's placard represented a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. When the final piece, representing host nation Brazil, was placed, it completed a heart shape. Visual effects overlaid this, expressing the pulse of life.
Additionally, the sight of children with disabilities carrying the Paralympic flag alongside their fathers, and the moment when torchbearer Marcia Marçal (a Paralympic track and field medalist) fell during an accident yet still passed the flame to the next runner, left a profound impression amid loud cheers.
The final torchbearer was Clodoaldo Silva, who won 13 Paralympic swimming medals. The flame was lit on a monument depicting the sun, mirroring the Olympic symbol.
Toshiro Muto, Secretary General of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, who attended the ceremony, commented: "We sincerely congratulate the opening of the Rio Paralympic Games. At the ceremony, we felt the passion of the Brazilian people for the Games. We learned a great deal from Rio and want to apply it to our preparations for Tokyo."
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