by Dirk Hofmeister
The Paralympics in Tokyo begin today (08/24/2021). They are supposed to be games of hope for para-sport. But worries and fears remain.
Disabled sports have a problem these days. In the past year and a half of the corona pandemic, the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS), which once had 650,000 members, lost around 100,000 members. “We are pandemic victims,” said DBS President Julius Beucher in the spring on Deutschlandfunk.
Trend reversal through the Paralympics?
All the greater is the hope that the Paralympics will help usher in a trend reversal. In Germany, where according to the current participation report of the federal government, the number of non-sporty people with disabilities in recent years increased from 46 to 55 percent is.
“More people dream of participating in Paralympics”
But also in the host country of the Paralympics, in Japan. “I think the Tokyo Paralympics can be a great advertisement for para-sport. In Japan and around the world,” said Japanese Yui Kamiji, who is second in the world in wheelchair tennis and is one of the games’ gold favorites. In the English-speaking Japanese newspaper “The Japan News” said the 27-year-old: “I hope that barriers will fall and that more and more people will dream of participating in the Paralympics in the future.”
“People with disabilities have been forgotten”
A goal that is also being pursued by the International Paralympic Committee. Regarding the consequences of the corona pandemic, IPC boss Andrew Parsons said in the run-up to the games: “We think that people with disabilities have often been forgotten recently. And the Paralympics are supposed to raise awareness for these problems. We want to talk about tax laws, too about mobility and infrastructure. Sport can contribute to a more inclusive world. “
More inclusion in host city Tokyo
The Olympic and Paralympic host city Tokyo has already become a little more inclusive thanks to the Games. Railway stations and airports, previously difficult to access for wheelchair users, have been converted to make them barrier-free. In the new national stadium, too, seats and toilets are now barrier-free. “The Olympic Games can only be successful if the Paralympics are too,” said Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.
Beucher: “Athletes are bursting with tension”
On Tuesday (August 24th, 2021) the Paralympics will start with the opening ceremony, around 4,500 athletes from more than 160 countries will start on Wednesday in a total of 23 sports and 540 medal decisions. The German team consists of 133 athletes. The Germans are more excited about the games. DBS President Beucher said he had “not met a single person who got on the plane with a dull feeling”. On the contrary: “The athletes are literally bursting with tension. Many athletes have said to me: Friedhelm, do everything that the games take place. We have aligned our entire lives with it.”
Corona worries remain
Nevertheless, according to Beucher, “there is always concern about whether we have done everything right in advance and whether we can adhere to all the rules. We pay attention to the greatest possible prevention. There are just special games,” said the sports official. Against the background of constantly increasing corona numbers in Japan, the organizers only decided on Sunday (August 22nd, 2021) to take even stricter protective measures and daily corona tests for their employees. Hidemasa Nakamura from the organizing committee had to admit that the medical system was “in a very tense position”.
A third of the athletes belong to the corona risk group
Especially since around a third of the German disabled athletes say they belong to the corona risk group, according to a survey by the “Inclusion in Sport” working group at the University of Paderborn among 197 cadre athletes from the German Disabled Sports Association. After all: The Germans can look forward to a start in Tokyo – even if, apart from a few school children, there are almost no spectators in the stadiums and strict hygiene requirements must be observed.
“Sign of solidarity” for missing team Afghanistan
On the other hand, there will be no athletes from Afghanistan at all in Tokyo. After the Taliban came to power, the Afghan para-athletes are not allowed to start in Tokyo. But here too, the Paralympics should be a sign of hope. A sign of hope and a “sign of solidarity with Afghan para-athletes,” as IPC President Parsons put it. At the opening ceremony on Tuesday, despite the lack of a delegation from Afghanistan, the country’s flag should be carried into the national stadium.
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