Paralympic Games: the first golds to be won in Tokyo 2020 The first golds to be won in Tokyo 2020 as Japan fights Covid

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On Wednesday there will be 16 medal events in swimming alone, while four gold medals will each be contested on the bike track and in wheelchair fencing.

Speaking after qualifying for the men’s 400m freestyle final on Wednesday afternoon in Japan, Australian swimmer Alexander Tuckfield said entering the water after the long postponement had the feeling of “taking the weight off the my shoulders “.

“Five years of just training, coaching and coaching for this competition,” Tuckfield said.

Basketball competitions and wheelchair goals also began on Wednesday, where China’s women’s basketball team beat Algeria by 74 to 25 and the Netherlands defeated the American team by 68- 58.

The 2020 Paralympics kicked off Tuesday night with a colorful and celebratory opening ceremony, which included a parade of participating nations led by the six-member Paralympic refugee team. A volunteer carried the Afghanistan flag, in honor of Afghan athletes who could not compete in the Games after the cancellation of flights outside the country after the Taliban took power.

“If the world has ever labeled you, now is the time to re-label you: champion, hero, friend, colleague, model or just human,” said Andrew Parsons, chairman of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). , Tuesday night.

“You are the best of humanity and the only ones who can decide who and what you are.”

Paige Greco, from Australia, competes in the C1-3 3000m individual pursuit qualifying phase at the Izu Velodrome on Day 1 during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics in Shizuoka, Japan.

But not all countries attended the opening ceremony: the New Zealand Paralympic team did not participate due to concerns about the spread of Covid-19.

Japan has reported record coronavirus cases in recent months, with more than 21,000 infections and 42 deaths nationwide.

Tokyo confirmed 4,220 new cases on Tuesday, and increased the total number of infections in August to more than 100,000, the first time a monthly count has recorded 100,000 cases. Last week, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said the situation was a “disaster-level” emergency.

According to the prime minister’s office, just over 40% of the Japanese population has been completely vaccinated since August 22.

The Japanese government will decide on Wednesday to extend the state of emergency in Tokyo and 12 other regions to eight more prefectures, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympic Games are held almost entirely without spectators to curb the spread of the virus. At least eight Paralympic athletes have tested positive at Covid-19 since Aug. 12, according to the CPI, as well as 33 Games-related staff.

Emiko Jozuka of CNN in Tokyo helped report.

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