Tokyo Paralympics: coronavirus casts shadow over spectacular opening ceremony for beleaguered Games
- The 2020 Paralympics begin in front of a spectacular but spectatorless Olympic Stadium in Tokyo
- A record 4,403 athletes from 162 teams descend on Tokyo as it undergoes its worst Covid-19 surge yet
The Olympic Stadium once again played host to the airport-themed Opening Ceremony with IOC president Thomas Bach among those in attendance as Japan’s Emperor Naruhito declared the Games open.
This Paralympics is set to follow the Olympics in more ways than one, as its kick-off in front of an almost empty stadium indicated.
These Games too will be played out behind closed doors with the notable exception of some 130,000 schoolchildren allowed in to watch events over the course of the Games, which run until September 5.
Kyodo reported that some parents were unsure of allowing their children to attend events as part of the government-backed programme, while other Tokyo residents had misgivings over hosting the Games.
Like the Olympics, there has been opposition to holding these Games, albeit less vocal and vociferous, though there were still protests on the streets outside the stadium at this opening ceremony just as at the Olympics.