Paralympics Sends Message of Diversity and Inclusiveness
After being postponed for a year, the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics officially kicked off with messages to the world about diversity and inclusiveness during the opening ceremony.
By
I GUSTI AGUNG BAGUS ANGGA PUTRA
·4 minutes read
KOMITE PARALIMPIADE NASIONAL INDONESIA
The Indonesian contingent passed by the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, during the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Tuesday (24/8/2021). The total number of the Indonesian contingent was 60 people. Indonesian athletes will compete in athletics, weight lifting, shooting, badminton, table tennis, cycling and swimming.
TOKYO, TUESDAY — The opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Tuesday evening (24/8/2021) became a stage that presented messages of diversity and inclusiveness. Through the athletes on the arena, the global sporting contest for those with disabilities is conveying the message that everyone can shine and no one deserves to be left behind.
The Tokyo Paralympics will take place from 24 Aug. to 5 Sept. A total of 4,403 athletes from 161 countries are participating to compete in 539 medal events across 22 sports. The event sees taekwondo and badminton make their Paralympic debut.
Several hundred people had gathered outside the stadium before the event started, hoping to be able to feel the atmosphere during the opening ceremony, which was held behind closed-door.
The ceremony took the theme of We Have Wings, visually translated by flying symbols with the stage resembling an airport runway. A number of volunteers lined up to welcome the athletes at the arrival platform.
They wore hats with propellers on them as if to convince everyone that despite their physical impairment, they could fly with their dreams.
The message of inclusiveness was vividly reflected in a dance performance featuring the dancers disabilities blended into a troupe with those without special needs. Despite their physical deficiencies, they were no less enchanting in executing dance movements.
AFP/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
Three torchbearers light up the Paralympic cauldron during the opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 24, 2021.
One clip of the performance showed a little girl in a wheelchair made like a model airplane, but with only one wing. The girl theatrically looked subdued and uncertain if she could fly because the “airplane’s” seeming defect. Various challenges and obstacles held back her confidence.
Being encouraged by those around her, she was able to convince herself and finally fly with only one wing against the backdrop of a giant banner. On it was the message, "We Have Wings".
This theatrical performance invited everyone to reflect that even with only one wing, anyone can achieve their dreams no matter what physical “deficiencies” they may have.
Indonesia’s traditional attire
The Indonesian delegation had Hanik Puji Astuti and Jaenal Aripin as flag bearers during the ceremony. The two wheelchair athletes wore traditional clothes, with Hanik in Sumatran and Jaenal in Balinese clothes, dominantly adorned by red, white and gold.
It is an honor to be appointed as the flag bearer at my first Paralympics. I never thought I would be here.
Through Hanik and Jaenal, Indonesia wanted to show that everyone, whatever circumstances they may be in, had the same rights to represent the country on the world stage.
“It is an honor to be appointed as the flag bearer at my first Paralympics. I never thought I would be here,” Jaenal said.
The Indonesian Paralympic delegation consists of 23 athletes from seven sports. The National Paralympic Committee has targeted to win one gold and one silver from badminton and three bronzes each from weightlifting, table tennis and athletics.
AP PHOTO/BOB MARTIN UNTUK OIS
Britain\'s Ashley Facey Thompson plays against Japan\'s Koyo Iwabuchin in Class 9, Group D of men\'s table tennis at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021.
The parade of participating sporting delegations made the atmosphere livelier. One after another, the delegations entered the “airport runway”. Excitement was evident among the athletes. They cheered when the name of their country was mentioned by the committee.
The athletes waved hands toward the spectator stands, which were almost deserted. But the quietness did not reduce their joy. The masks on the faces were unable to hide the aura of joy either.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons pointed out that the Tokyo Paralympics were one of the most important and historic moments in sports. Given the ongoing situation, he expressed his relief that the Paralympics could finally be staged to help people with disabilities be heard more once they felt "abandoned".
The organizers hoped that the Tokyo gathering would contribute to building a more inclusive and diverse society.
Hailing the Paralympics as a vehicle for change, he urged everyone to play their part to help create an inclusive society.
The Paralympics are taking place amid a divided Japanese public perception regarding the timing of holding a big event in the wake of the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Tokyo\'s daily caseload is reported to be more than 5,000 new infections since the Olympics.
The Japanese medical authorities are under pressure with the number of people in self-isolation having been increasing rapidly amid a shortage of hospital beds.
The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented athletes from Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu from traveling to Japan. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has dismissed the doubters, saying that Tokyo had worked hard to realize a safe Paralympics. (AFP)
