EDITORIAL | Paris Celebrates the Paralympics Brilliantly to the Close

The Paris Paralympics have drawn to a close. The highlight of the closing ceremony, held at the Stade de France outside Paris, was a long, thunderous round of applause from the crowd.

Tony Estanguet was the President of the Organizing Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In his speech during the closing ceremony, he described them as "a tale of special encounters that change lives." Then he called on the packed crowd to "stand up and give these great athletes the biggest, most enthusiastic, and longest applause possible to convey the great inspiration, pride, and emotion they have caused us to feel." 

The applause and cheering that began at that point reverberated throughout the venue. It was so loud and strong that Estanguet struggled to continue his remarks. 

Lamenting the Bad Luck of the Tokyo Games

The Paris Paralympics followed fast on the heels of the highly successful Paris Olympics. More than anything else, they will be remembered for the wild cheering and thunderous applause that prevailed from start to finish. 

More than 2.5 million tickets were sold for these Paralympics. That nearly matched the 2.7 million tickets sold for the 2012 London Games, which have been lauded as the "best Paralympics to date."

An atmosphere of excitement surrounded the venues packed with spectators. Meanwhile, the athletes fought with spirit, spurred on by the vocal audience. 

Many famous historical sites, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Grand Palais, and the Place de la Concorde, served as venues for the Games. Estanguet boasted about the grandeur of the venues. Then he said, "The most important thing is people. And without the athletes and spectators, these venues would be nothing more than empty stages."

Sadly, that was exactly the case at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

Those Games were held under the extremely trying circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. They represented a great achievement in ensuring historical continuity for the Olympics. Nevertheless, we still feel great regret regarding the misfortune of holding the tournament without spectators.

It had been the dream of the Tokyo Paralympic Committee to achieve a resounding success that surpassed London. Although the Tokyo Paralympics delivered spectacular competition, there is no denying that the lack of spectators was saddening. That feeling of regret was only reinforced by the success of the Paris Games. 

That being so, Japan should once again bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Japan Should Eradicate Corruption and Bid for Olympics and Paralympics Again

After the Tokyo Olympics, various irregularities came to light. They caused many people to become disheartened and alienated from the Olympics. So much so that Sapporo dropped its bid to host the Winter Olympics. 

This is enough reason for Japan to bid for the Olympics and run them honestly, without any fraud. Japan should continue to be a country capable of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

More than anything, the Paris Paralympics demonstrated the value of hosting the Games. It was truly inspiring to see men and women with the courage and ingenuity required to challenge the limits of human capabilities. Each Paralympian showcased the athletic ability to overcome obstacles and continue to improve.

What could be better than for Japanese youngsters to have the opportunity to see the Paralympics in real time?

Amazed by Athletes in Competition

There were many astonishing sights during the competition. Among them was the floating sensation created by the German long-jump sensation Markus Rehm as he tried to become the first person to jump nine meters. Wheelchair athletes who raced in track events were equally amazing. So was the force of the collisions for both the men's and women's wheelchair rugby teams, and the triumphal cries of boccia players after a perfect throw.

Swimmer Keiichi Kimura, who is completely blind, won the 100-meter butterfly for the second consecutive time. Moreover, he set a world record (1 minute, 0.9 seconds) in the final. "I want people to realize a person can swim that distance in around one minute zero seconds even though he never saw another person swim," he said.

That opinion was also supported by the coach of retired Olympic medalist Natsumi Hoshi. 

'Following the Script of Fate'

We recall the comment made by Tokito Oda, a wheelchair tennis player at the opening ceremony that he was "following the script that fate had written for him." Oda triumphed, so perhaps it's not surprising that the first Japanese character in his given name is the same as the first character in the Japanese rendering of the "Arc de Triomphe." His down-the-line shots at key moments were reminiscent of Kei Nishikori at his peak.

After Oda collapsed on the court in celebration of his gold medal, world No 1 Alfie Hewett of Great Britain, who he had just beat, rushed over to help right Oda's wheelchair. 

Likewise, when women's wheelchair tennis player Yui Kamiji broke down in tears and was unable to move after taking the gold, the defeated champion, Diede de Groot of the Netherlands, rushed over to congratulate her. And every one of the Japanese men's goalball gold medal winners was embraced by the defeated Ukrainian players.

We want people to witness this kind of good sportsmanship as well as the superhuman performances of the players.

In a post-match interview, Oda said: "I truly believe that by participating in matches something will change. And I want that change to happen. My journey will continue." 

To live in a society that can respond to this desire and to be moved by the human drama of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. That is what we should strive for.

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(Read the article in Japanese.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun