The Paralympic season is gearing up and we’re raring to get back into the spirit of the games, which are due to take place in late August of next year in the Japanese capital. After the fun of the previous summer and winter games in Rio and Sochi respectively, things can only get better for the incredible Tokyo Paralympics sporting event.
The Weird, Wonderful City of Tokyo
Japan has always kept a firm root in its history and culture, creating an incredible blend of ultra-modern technology and traditional charm. It’s like nowhere else in the world, and Tokyo is the embodiment of its desire to keep a hold of its past and embrace modern tech and stylings. The Tokyo Paralympics will look incredible against a Blade Runner-esque background of neon.
Someity is adorable
Someity is the best mascot yet. Please don’t @ us. Their name comes from the name of a species of cherry blossom, the official flower of Japan, the someiyoshino, and was also chosen because it invokes the English phrase “so mighty.” Someity is described as being calm, but also can be extremely powerful when they need to be. They also have the power to fly using their cape, can use their cherry blossom-shaped ears to send telepathic messages, can talk to stones and the wind, and can move objects by looking at them.
Badminton and Taekwondo are in
It’s sad that we don’t get to see sailing and 7-a-side football in the Tokyo Paralympics, but the introduction of badminton and taekwondo is going to be incredible and expose millions of people watching both at the games and at home to a whole host of new Paralympians. There’s going to be a host of test events leading up to the Tokyo Paralympics, including goalball, powerlifting and wheelchair rugby, so look out for those if you’re getting pumped up for the big event.
The Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics is going to be amazing
Japan is the tech capital of the universe, and they will not pull any punches when it comes to creating the opening ceremony to end all opening ceremonies for the Tokyo Paralympics. Anime nerds will be braced for a reference to seminal anime and manga Akira, which saw one of its main events take place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, despite being written between 1982 and 1990. Spooky, huh?
The Tokyo Paralympics brings Para Sport back to the forefront
Despite there being para sporting events that take place all year round, we rarely hear about them unless something terrible happens. At this point, it’s been over a year since the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics in 2018, so we’ve experienced a bit of a drought in para-sport reaching the mainstream. With the 2020 Paralympics, it’ll be thrust back to the spotlight where it belongs. Of course, PosAbility won’t be there to cover it in person, but we’ll be there in spirit and keeping you up-to-date when the event (finally) rolls around!
Get your copy of PosAbility MagazineClick here to find out more about the upcoming games.
Image credits: Paralympic Society/Otomo-TMS-Toho
