Nearly 2,000 athletes and officials from around the world helped bid farewell to the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Sunday night, alongside 850 other attendees at the closing ceremony at the National Stadium in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
The ceremony kicked off at 8:00 p.m. with a video recounting the heated competition seen at the Tokyo Games, followed by a segment telling the story of a young boy who changed his perceptions of disability after being inspired by the achievements of para athletes, and how this movement rippled out across the globe. In an expression of the Tokyo Games' theme of harmony and diversity, disabled performers took to a set representing Tokyo as a "city where differences shine," in a polyphonic performance combining dance, music, and video.
Flag bearers of participating countries, regions, and refugee teams entered the stadium in a socially-distanced parade.
Smiles could be seen on the faces of Afghanistan's delegation, including 22-year-old Zakia Khudadadi, who represented the war-torn nation in women's taekwondo. Although the recent turmoil had nearly dashed her hopes of traveling to Tokyo as planned, Khudadadi was ultimately able to compete as one of only two Afghan athletes in the Games, with the support of the International Paralympic Committee and other organizations.
Men's table tennis athlete Koyo Iwabuchi, 26, served as the flag bears for the Japanese delegation, who enthusiastically clapped and held up their phones to snap photos commemorating the hometown Games.
Towards the end of the ceremony, the orange flame in the Paralympic cauldron turned purple, representing the disabled community. The stadium lighting followed suit to bathe the entire venue in the symbolic color, as part of the IPC's "WeThe15" campaign launched to promote the human rights of people with disabilities, who make up about 15% of the world's population.
Shortly after 10:00 p.m., the torch was extinguished and Tokyo bid farewell to the first Paralympic Games held in the capital in 57 years.
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