(UTV | TOKYO) – The Tokyo Paralympics get under way on Tuesday, with Covid-19 cases rising in Japan and all parties acknowledging that there is still a challenge ahead.
Delayed by a year because of the pandemic and with supporters unable to attend apart from a small number of schoolchildren, these will be a different Games to any previous edition.
But not only do organisers want top-level competition, they also want the Games to play a big part in making Japanese society more inclusive.
Tokyo is the first city to stage two Paralympic Games, having hosted the 1964 edition when 375 athletes from 21 nations took part in nine sports.
This time, around 4,400 athletes from 162 national Paralympic committees will compete in 539 medal events across 22 sports.
All will be eager to put the turbulent events of the past 18 months behind them and show the rest of the world what they can do as Paralympians on the biggest stage of all.
It will officially start with the opening ceremony at 12:00 BST on Tuesday and competition begins on Wednesday.