Updated 08/24/2021, 4:15 pm
- The Tokyo Paralympic Games have officially begun.
- At 10:08 pm local time, Emperor Naruhito of Japan announced the opening of the Games.
- The Paralympic Games will run until September 5.
The 16th Tokyo Paralympic Games have officially begun. At 10:08 pm local time, the Emperor of Japan announced the opening of the XIV Summer Games on Tuesday at the Naruhito Olympic Stadium. The Paralympic fire was lit at 10:50. Due to the epidemic, the ceremony took place without spectators. IOC President Thomas Bach returned to Tokyo 16 days after the Olympics.
Germany was ranked 92nd out of 161 participating countries. Wheelchair basketball player Marieke Miller and five-time Paralympic champion Michael Duper carried the flag. In the absence of Afghanistan para-athletes since the Taliban captured, the country’s flag was carried to the ground by a volunteer.
More than 4,400 athletes from 161 countries are participating in the Paralympics
“I can not believe we’re really here,” said Andrew Parson, chairman of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
In Tokyo, a total of 539 results from 22 games are in the program until September 5th. A total of 4,400 athletes from 161 countries are taking part in the Games in Japan, and the 162nd delegation, the Refugee Group. For Germany, there will be 133 para-athletes and three mentors at the start.
© dpa
