LOOK: Tokyo 2020 Paralympics opening ceremony lights up Japan

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The Paralympics began Tuesday in the same empty National Stadium - during the same pandemic - as the opening and closing ceremonies of the recently completed Tokyo Olympics. Image Credit: ANI

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Japanese Emperor Naruhito got it all started again, this time under the theme ‘We Have Wings’. Among the few on hand were Douglas Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons and International Olympic President Thomas Bach. Image Credit: ANI

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It was a circus-like opening with acrobats, clowns, vibrant music and fireworks atop the stadium to mark the start of the long parade of athletes. Image Credit: ANI

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The opening ceremony featured the national flags of the 162 delegations represented, which included the refugee team. Image Credit: ANI

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In addition, the flag of Afghanistan was carried by a volunteer despite the delegation not being on hand in Tokyo. Image Credit: AP

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Comparisons to the Olympics stop with the colourful jamboree, save for the logistical and medical barriers during the pandemic, and the hollowing out of almost everything else. Image Credit: ANI

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Tokyo and Paralympic organisers are under pressure from soaring new infections in the capital. Image Credit: AP

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About 40 per cent of the Japanese population is fully vaccinated. But daily new cases in Tokyo have increased four to five times since the Olympics opened on July 23. Image Credit: AP

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Tokyo is under a state of emergency until September 12, with the Paralympics ending September 5. Image Credit: AP

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Organisers on Tuesday also announced the first positive test for an athlete living in the Paralympic Village. They gave no name or details and said the athlete had been isolated. Image Credit: AP

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The Paralympics are being held without fans, although organisers are planning to let some schoolchildren attend, going against the advice of much of the medical community. Image Credit: AP

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Parsons and Seiko Hashimoto, the president of the Tokyo organising committee, say the Paralympics can be held safely. Both have tried to distance the Paralympics and Olympics from Tokyo’s rising infection rate. “For the moment we don’t see the correlation between having the Paralympics in Tokyo with the rising number of cases in Tokyo and Japan,” Parsons said. Image Credit: AP

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Some medical experts say even if there is no direct link, the presence of the Olympics and Paralympics promoted a false sense of security and prompted people to let down their guard, which may have helped spread the virus. Image Credit: AP

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The Paralympics are about athletic prowess. The origin of the word is from ‘parallel’ — an event running alongside the Olympics. Image Credit: AP

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Markus Rehm — known as the ‘Blade Jumper’ — lost his right leg below the knee when he was 14 in a wakeboarding accident, but earlier this year he jumped 8.62 metres, a distance that would have won the last seven Olympics, including the Tokyo Games. Tokyo’s winning long jump was 8.41 metress. Image Credit: AP

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Tokyo 2020 Paralympics opening ceremony Image Credit: AP

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“The stigma attached to disability changes when you watch the sport,” said Craig Spence, a spokesman for the International Paralympic Committee. “These games will change your attitude toward disability.” Image Credit: AP

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Spence added: “If you look around Japan, it’s very rare you see persons with disabilities on the street. We’ve got to go from protecting people to empowering people and creating opportunities for people to flourish in society.” Image Credit: AFP

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Archer Matt Stutzman was born with no arms, just stumps at the shoulders. He holds a world record — for any archer, disabled or otherwise — for the longest, most accurate shot, hitting a target at 310 yards, or about 283 metres. Stutzman, known as the ‘Armless Archer’, has a great sense of humour. He jokes about growing up wanting the be like former NBA star Michael Jordan. “I gave it up,” he deadpans. “I wasn’t tall enough.” Image Credit: Reuters

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LOOK: Tokyo 2020 Paralympics opening ceremony lights up Japan

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LOOK: Tokyo 2020 Paralympics opening ceremony lights up Japan

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