The Best of the Paralympics

AP/Getty Images/Yuichi Yamazaki

Journalists watch the installation of the Paralympic logo in the Odaiba area of Tokyo. The organizing committee, and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided to eliminate spectators during the Paralympics, 24 August-5 September 2021.

After the Olympics, public attention has turned to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which started on Tuesday (24/8/2021). Indonesia awaits the best efforts of the athletes.

Having started in Rome in 1960, the Paralympics are being held for the 16th time this year. A total of 163 countries and 4,537 athletes will compete in 22 sports at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

The athletes have arrived at the Athletes’ Village. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the atmosphere in Tokyo during the Paralympics will not be much different from the Olympics. Foreign spectators are barred from all arenas, and athletes can only move between the Athletes’ Village and the competition venue. Local spectators’ access to the venues is also limited.

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In the opening ceremony on Tuesday (24/8), only 900 people were to be physically present at the Olympic Stadium. Various rules related to health protocols have make the atmosphere leading up to the Paralympics, as well as the Olympics, which recently ended, seem strange to Japanese citizens, especially for those who had experienced the excitement of the Tokyo 1964 Olympics and Paralympics.

The Indonesian public hopes for the best efforts from the 23 "Red and White" Paralympic athletes who will compete. In their previous appearance at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, the Indonesian contingent won one bronze medal through women\'s weightlifter Ni Nengah Widiasih. One bronze was also won at the 2012 London Paralympics by men\'s singles table tennis player David Jacobs.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Indonesian Paralympic table tennis athlete David Jacobs in the TT10 classification against Lee Yao-tang from Taiwan in the 2018 Asian Para Games table tennis at Ecovention, Ancol, Jakarta, Monday (8/10/2018). David is Indonesia\'s flagship athlete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Even though Indonesia has only won one bronze in the previous two Paralympics, Indonesia is optimistic because of its achievements at the 2018 Asian Paragames in Jakarta. In the games, Indonesia ranked fifth in medal standings, with 37 gold, 47 silver and 51 bronze medals. The four contingents above Indonesia at that time were China at the top of the standings, followed by South Korea, Iran and Japan.

Competition in the Asian Paragames is certainly much different from the Paralympics. However, with this achievement in mind, Indonesia should set a target of exceeding the one bronze of the previous two events.

Along with that hope, we support the National Paralympic Committee\'s medal targets, namely one gold and one silver from badminton, one bronze from weightlifting, one bronze in table tennis and one bronze in athletics.

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Paralympic athletes are tough from the start because most are people who have fallen but have been able to get up. Disabled cyclist M Fadli Imammuddin, for example, suffered a serious injury during his career as a motorcycle racer. He is now Indonesia\'s mainstay in Paralympic bicycle racing.

Other Paralympic athletes are disabled from birth, or as a result of an accident, such as Fadli. They then stand up, find confidence, train hard as athletes and fight for the good name of the country. Our prayers and support accompany the Indonesian athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.