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GamesBids' Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony Live Chat (Paralympics edition)


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Flame lighting events for Paralympic torch relay begin in Japan

Flame-lighting events for the Tokyo Paralympic torch relay began across Japan on Thursday in the lead up to the world's biggest sporting event for athletes with disabilities, despite the relay being scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A series of events related to the torch relay were held in an effort to boost momentum toward the Paralympics, which will take place between Aug. 24 and Sept. 5, and mark the transition from the just-concluded Olympics.

Flames for the Paralympics are set to be collected in over 800 municipalities across Japan and be united with the flame lit in Stoke Mandeville, England -- the spiritual birthplace of the Paralympic movement.

Lighting events for the Paralympics will take place over the next five days in 43 of Japan's 47 prefectures that will not stage Paralympic competitions.

Unlike the Olympic flame, which was ignited in Greece, locations and lighting methods for the Paralympics have been left up to each municipality. Some lighting events will be held in facilities for people with disabilities and schools for students with special needs, as well as areas that were devastated by natural disasters.

In Rikuzentakata, northeastern Japan, a flame was lit by Miu Takahashi, a 21-year-old nursing home worker born with brain paralysis, from a fire burning in a gas lamp symbolizing hope in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

She lit a lantern using the fire, which was transferred from a fire burning in Kobe as a monument of hope after the western city suffered the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

"It was an honor to be given the role to pass the fire, which has a long history since the Great Hanshin Earthquake, as the Paralympic flame," Takahashi said.

Between Tuesday and Aug. 20, the four prefectures that will host Paralympic events will hold flame-lighting events.

The flames lit in the host country and in Britain will be united at a ceremony in Tokyo on Aug. 20, before the torch relay in the capital is slated to begin ahead of the opening ceremony at the National Stadium.

The relay in Tokyo, originally set to feature some 700 torchbearers passing the flame over a course of around 35 kilometers, was taken off public roads due to the pandemic. Instead, runners will gather for a so-called torch kiss ceremony.

The torch relay for the Olympics was also taken off public roads during most of its 15-day leg in Tokyo last month.

The Olympics opened on July 23 and closed on Sunday.

Date:Aug.,12/2021

News source:Kyodo news

Link to this article:https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/08/b25678db3b88-flame-lighting-events-for-paralympic-torch-relay-begin-in-japan.html?phrase=paralympic flame&words=Flame,Paralympic,Flames,Paralympics,flame

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Paralympic organizers mull banning spectators

Sources close to the Tokyo Paralympics say the organizers are mulling events without spectators at prefectures where a coronavirus state of emergency is in place, such as Tokyo.

The Paralympic Games are set to open on August 24. The Olympic Games, which closed on Sunday, were held with no spectators at most competition venues.

The officials of the Paralympic organizing committee plan to meet with representatives of the Tokyo Metropolitan and Japanese governments, as well as the International Paralympic Committee, on Monday to decide on whether to allow spectators.

Sources say officials are considering banning spectators at venues in Tokyo and some other prefectures where coronavirus infections are surging despite the state of emergency.

However, officials are carefully discussing school programs, which invite students of elementary, junior and senior high schools, and special-needs schools to the Games.

Some say children should be invited for the educational value, while others are concerned about infection risks, including those associated with using public transportation.

Date:8/13/2021

News source:NHK World

Link to this article:https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210813_29/

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Over 115 global iconic landmarks including New York’s Empire State Building, The London Eye, BT Tower, Rome’s Colosseum and Piccadilly Circus are to light up purple tonight, the international colour of disability.

Tonight’s illuminations are to celebrate the launch of WeThe15, which aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities. Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the global movement aims to end discrimination towards people with disabilities and campaigns for disability visibility, inclusion and accessibility.

 

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12 minutes ago, Rob. said:

Over 115 global iconic landmarks including New York’s Empire State Building, The London Eye, BT Tower, Rome’s Colosseum and Piccadilly Circus are to light up purple tonight, the international colour of disability.

Tonight’s illuminations are to celebrate the launch of WeThe15, which aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement to represent the world’s 1.2 billion people with disabilities. Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the global movement aims to end discrimination towards people with disabilities and campaigns for disability visibility, inclusion and accessibility.

 

Wow so wonderful!

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Emperor Naruhito will be present for the opening of the Paralympics.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/832d720d2262c2069cc2ecf28448915dc6bbfc49

Also....because of the shitshow which happened after the names of the staff involved in the Olympics ceremonies were revealed when a couple of them got Cancelled, the Paralympics organizing comittee decided to refrain from announcing the production team members of the Paralympics opening. :lol: Seems they wanna avoid the same mess to repeat again.

https://www.nikkansports.com/olympic/tokyo2020/paralympic/news/202108190000702.html

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Paralympic opening ceremony concept: WE HAVE WINGS

The Tokyo Games organizing committee says the concept of Tuesday's Paralympic opening ceremony will be "WE HAVE WINGS."

The committee made the announcement on Saturday. The opening ceremony is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. on Tuesday at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

The committee says the concept seeks to raise awareness that everybody has wings through highlighting the courage of Paralympic athletes who are trying to spread their wings against adverse winds.

The committee also adds that the concept for the closing ceremony scheduled for September 5 will be "Harmonious Cacophony."

It says the spirit behind that concept is acknowledging diversity among people and transforming their differences into a shared unity.

The committee says a total of 161 public applicants have been selected to perform at the opening and closing ceremonies, and 75 of them will participate in the opening ceremony.

The number of participants from the public is smaller than initially planned, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A rehearsal for the opening ceremony will be held at the National Stadium on Sunday.

Date:8/22/2021

News source:NHK World Japan

Link to this article:https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210822_01/

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A lot of people were there to watch skywrite ahead of tonight's paralympic opening ceremony...maybe approximately 1500~1800 people around Tokyo station and of course I was one of them. Very short video I took.(just 2 seconds sorry:P) Forgot how to resize my video so I put it in the box below.

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:)

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Here's the Youtube stream to the Paralympics Opening Ceremony

I don't know whether to watch it on Youtube or Channel 7.

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I have been mega busy at work due to New Zealands current total lockdown so i am pretty exhausted. Ceremony starts at 11pm and i don't think i can do another stay awake until 3am and up again at 6am......

If i thought it was going to be good would be worth it but due to the olympic opening being a pile of **** i think il just wait and see what the damage is tomorrow.

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Also according to Channel 7 Australia, school children will spectate the ceremony inside the stadium. YAY!!! A least we had some crowds while we are in Tokyo.

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Should be interesting to see the reaction on here, can't watch live due to the colossal uselessness of All4 - I appreciate being able to watch Taskmaster on a Sunday night instead but it'd be nice if we could watch actual live events actually live :lol: Is Jon Snow anywhere near it with his big book of military history?

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