Special Envoy to Tokyo
Updated:23/08/2021 08:23h
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Tokyo 2020 approved the subject of the celebration of the Olympic Games and now embraces the Paralympic competition with the same or more devotion, since Japan has a capital respect for diversity, almost always at the forefront of accessibility. There are more than a billion people in the world with some disability, and in Tokyo there will be 4,500 those that represent that 15% of the planet. The tallest, the fastest, the strongest. And those who most want to start these dozen days of pure sport after a year with the difficulties of a pandemic that has united the world more than ever.
The Paralympic Village has already taken color with the most illustrious citizens of the Paralympic planet. And the chairs, handbikes, prostheses, nerves and desire have filled the streets of the small city and the homes of Tokyo, always reverential to serve the visitor, especially if it shows with its performances that with any ability you can move the world to a better place. Spain already has all its members landed in the most desired Games. A delegation of 229 people, including athletes with disabilities (127, 42 women and 85 men), 15 support athletes, 57 technicians, as well as 30 people from other departments. A figure somewhat higher than the one concentrated in Rio 2016 (201).
«During the four years we had the usual problems, but the last one has been tremendous. It has been very long. There have been many fears, more risks of injury. But we helped the athletes as much as we could, which was the objective, so that they could continue in the best conditions. We did not want them to leave because of this circumstance. We have taken treadmills and gyms up to second and third floors without an elevator. Although it is true that we have not been able to move swimming pools to the swimmers’ houses ”, he analyzes this newspaper Miguel Carballeda, president of the Spanish Paralympic Committee, this year of grace that forced the pandemic. “The great unknown – he warns – is how the others will be. Some will have had a better time than us, and others worse, so surprises can be positive. Yes, I can assure you, it is the illusion and the preparation that Spaniards bring to give medals that we want to share with the people who have had a worse time.
Carballeda underlines the importance of this Paralympic event: «The message of overcoming in this case acquires a greater intensity and greater importance. It’s amazing what the human being is capable of in the face of adversity. We Paralympians know it well, that we have done it all our lives. The example of seeing them compete has to serve to reinforce that feeling that any situation can be faced even when someone thinks that life has become difficult.
Spain, which has a team that mixes youth and seniority well, aims to at least equal the 31 medals harvested in Rio (9 gold, 14 silver and 8 bronze). It has established stars such as Álvaro Valera (table tennis), Ricardo Ten, Alfonso Cabello (cycling), Michelle Alonso, Teresa Perales, Sebastián Rodríguez (swimming), Gerard Downloadrega (athletics), but also young debutants who arrive eager: the swimmers Nahia Zudaire (17 years old), Jacobo Garrido (today he turns 19) or the athletes Nagore Folgado (17 years old) and Eduardo Uceda (20 years old).
They will not only offer the best of the sports Spain brand, they will also promote Spanish culture from day one, in the inaugural parade. «We always try to bring added value, with creators of culture from our country to propel us all around the planet; in this case, the hat that the athletes will wear at the inauguration is decorated with a Menina work by Manolo Valdés. It is adding factors, being proud of our country and our people, ”explains Carballeda.
That only has a small displeasure: the lack of public in the stands because the restrictions in Japan have been extended until September due to the increase in cases of coronavirus. Although it will be great for colleges and sports schools if the rules are met. “It is tremendously sad for any athlete, but for athletes with disabilities, and in Japan, even more so. They can learn many things from us, beyond flamenco and guitar; but from them we could learn how they treat older people well, with that respect always for experience and for those who give us life as something sacred, in fact it is the first oldest country in the world followed by Spain and they have a Minister of Solitude; to the kids, which they understand very well is that it is their future; and people with disabilities. We are looking forward to learning and getting to know some accessibility processes, which in Spain we are doing very well, better than we sometimes criticize, but Japan is an example. That there is no public to learn that education and that recognition is a shame, but I am sure that the people of Japan will manage to prove it to us in one way or another, “Carballeda concludes, looking forward to the Paralympic party rekindling the flame of overcoming and coexistence.
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