Most Emotional Paralympic Moments in Tokyo 2020

Tokyo 2020

Find out the most emotional Paralympic moments in Tokyo 2020 with a quiz. Here is the compilation of the best and worst moments before you jump straight for the trivia.

Emotional Moments in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

The opening ceremony dazzled with differently-abled musicians, singers, and performers showcasing their talents. There was a formation of the Paralympian game symbol which meant ‘I Move” in Latin.

The Paralympian cauldron was lit by three Paralympians: Yui Kamiji, wheelchair tennis, Shunsuke Uchida, boccia player, and Karin Morisaki, a powerlifter. The cauldron was made to open up like a flower to symbolize vitality and hope. 

Afghanistan’s flag was still included in the games even after several athletes pulled out due to the unstable conditions caused by the Taliban. 

Alisa Issa became the first one to march into the stadium on behalf of the Refugee Team and she was also the first woman in the team.

Several world and Paralympic records were broken in the 2020 Paralympics. Paralympic athletes broke several records in archery, shooting, swimming, canoe sprint, powerlifting, cycling, rowing, and athletics. 

Siamand Raham passed away in March. Raham has broken his own record in powerlifting from the London 2012 Paralympics thrice during 2014 to 2016. He was also the first person to lift more than 300kg during Rio 2016. His 310kg power lift has become an unbreakable record at present. 

The Heroes of Paralympics Tokyo 2020

The Paralympics was postponed along with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and these heroes went to battle against the pandemic as frontline workers and kept their training aside.

Brittani Coury was a registered nurse in Utah and a snowboard medalist but insisted on working for a University hospital. Kim Daybell, a paralympic table tennis player and two-time winner kept aside his training and joined the National Health Service (NHS). Several other players such as Susana Rodriguez Garcia, a Spanish Para triathlete, Annika van der Meer, a Dutch rower. Genesis Leal, a Venezuelan swimmer, Greta Muti is an Italian rower. Matt Campbell-Hill, a retired wheelchair fencer, and Paola Mosquera, a Colombian swimmer, volunteered as frontline workers in their respective countries. #WaitForTheGreats campaign added anticipation to the games.

Netflix on Paralympics

The Olympic games aren’t as famous as a Superbowl game or FIFA, and the Paralympics are one stand below the Olympics when it comes to the number of audiences and fans. Netflix has broken this barrier by premiering “Rising Phoenix” just a few days before the Paralympic games in 2020. The year-long wait did encourage the audience to watch the games. Still, unfortunately, the rising COVID cases in Japan led to the games being organized indoors with very few audiences.  

The film is a compilation of 9 biographies of Paralympians, namely, Tatyana McFadden (USA), Ellie Cole (Australia), Jean-Baptiste Alaize (France), Matt Stutzman (USA), Jonnie Peacock (UK), Ryley Batt (Australia), Cui Zhe (China), Ntando Mahlangu (South Africa), and Bebe Vio (Italy). 

I’mPOSSIBLE Program

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) launched this program three years ago to include the young generation in the games. This year’s challenge was sending a meaningful message to the world leaders to be inclusive and create a personal regime. Harmonie- Rose Allen, a 7-year-old from the U.K., was the showstopper. Harmonie lost all her limbs and the tip of her nose after contracting meningitis and septicemia. The WeThe15 program was also launched to represent 15% of the differently-abled world population. 

ParaSport Against Stigma

This is an initiative by the IPC in partnership with the Loughborough University and the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, to include Africans in the Paralympic games and overcome discrimination.  This program is currently educating Africans to popularize the games. 

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