Afghan Flag to Appear at Tonight's Tokyo Paralympics Opening Ceremony: "A Symbol of Peace and Solidarity"

▲Flag bearers of the Afghanistan team at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The 16th edition of the world's largest sports festival for people with disabilities, the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, will open at 8 p.m. on the 24th. Notably, although Afghan athletes controlled by the Taliban will not participate due to flight issues, the Afghan flag will be used as a message of peace and solidarity sent to the world, drawing attention.

According to Mainichi Shimbun and CNN on the 24th, the Tokyo Paralympics opening ceremony will be held without spectators at the Tokyo National Stadium starting at 8 p.m. The event will continue for 13 days from the opening ceremony on the 24th until the 5th of next month.

The opening ceremony, held under the theme "We Have Wings," will feature a flame lit at the cauldron using fire brought from 47 prefectures across Japan and Stoke Mandeville in the UK, the birthplace of the Paralympics.

The opening ceremony will be attended by delegations from each country, Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and Emperor Naruhito, who will declare the opening.

This is the first time in 57 years since the 1964 Tokyo Olympics that the Paralympics are held in Tokyo. It is also the first time that the second Summer Paralympics are held in the same city.

The event will feature participants from 161 countries and a refugee team. The IPC announced in June that 168 countries were expected to participate in the Tokyo Paralympics, surpassing the 164 countries at the 2012 London Games, marking the highest number of participating countries ever. However, due to the spread of COVID-19, some countries withdrew, reducing the number to 161.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Originally, Afghan athletes were scheduled to participate in this event, but they could not attend due to flight cancellations. However, IPC President Parsons stated that the Afghan flag will be displayed at the opening ceremony to send a message of peace and solidarity to the world.

Parsons said, "Flights departing from Afghanistan were canceled, so Afghan athletes cannot participate in the Olympics, but the Afghan flag will be included in the opening parade."

He added, "We will include the Afghan flag in the opening event as a sign of solidarity. It is a message of solidarity and peace sent to the world."

About 4,400 athletes will compete in 22 sports for 539 gold medals.

South Korea will send its largest-ever delegation of 159 members, including 86 athletes and 73 officials. The team will enter 81st in the opening ceremony.

Paralympic events will be held at 21 venues located in four prefectures: Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, and Shizuoka. To prevent the spread of infection, except for school-linked viewing where elementary, middle, and high school students participate as school groups, the events will be held without spectators.