Tokyo Paralympic Games: Towards a More Inclusive Society |

After losing her right leg in a car accident as a Japanese high school student, Kaede Maegawa was grateful when her friends offered her support. Yet sometimes she felt like she wouldn’t be able to do anything on her own.

In order to regain her confidence, she asked her friends and teachers to let her try to do things on her own. This launched her on the path to becoming an elite athlete and competitor at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Ms. Maegawa shares her story during SDG Zone in Tokyo roundtable, where three inspiring Paralympians talk about the power of sport to broaden horizons and what the Paralympic values ​​mean to them – courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Ms. Maegawa, who competes in the long jump, is joined by famed Sierra Leonean table tennis para-athlete George Wyndham, and Miki Matheson, three-time Paralympic gold medalist in ice sledge sprint racing.

Breaking down barriers with technology

The innovations showcased in the Paralympic Games can potentially help all people with disabilities, says Ken Endo, CEO of tech company Xiborg, in a conversation highlighting technology, design and initiatives that make sport more accessible and enjoyable. for everyone.

Mr. Endo is leading a project to make a race-specific prosthesis called a ‘blade’ accessible to everyone, not just athletes, and is working to break down various barriers, especially in developing countries, by exploring how Locally available materials can be used to develop blades and increase the number of people using prostheses.

The panel also includes Lucy Meyer, spokesperson for the Special Olympics-Unicef USA Partnership, for disabled youth, and five-time Special Olympics gold medalist swimmer.

Ms Meyer, who also suffers from cerebral palsy, says doctors told her parents she wouldn’t be able to sit up or swallow, but “we’re so happy to report that the doctors were wrong. ! “

She is very active in the Special Olympics program which enables children with and without disabilities to compete together in team sports. “It is important to me that everyone accepts and includes everyone, but especially people with disabilities, because we are no different.

To look forward

The latest SDG Zone session in Tokyo examines what sport can bring to the next generation and how it can help societies recover from the COVID-19[feminine pandémie et s’améliorer.

L’athlète olympique sud-soudanais Abraham Guem, raconte les nombreux défis auxquels lui, son équipe et la ville hôte de l’équipe de Maebashi ont été confrontés pendant la pandémie, avec l’avantage inattendu qu’en raison du report des Jeux, il a pu passer plus de temps à Maebashi que prévu, établissant des liens et se faisant des amis avec la population locale.

Le maire de Maebashi, Ryu Yamamoto, témoigne de l’expérience positive de l’accueil des athlètes sud-soudanais, et pense que la ville a changé en conséquence. « Tout le monde a dû se sentir encouragé de voir ces jeunes, d’un endroit si éloigné d’Afrique, absorbés dans une pratique intensive ».

En se tournant vers Paris 2024, Roxana Maracineanu, ministre française des Sports et nageuse médaillée olympique, a partagé son espoir que la voie vers les prochains Jeux Olympiques et Paralympiques favorisera une collaboration plus étroite entre les mouvements sportifs, l’éducation sportive dans les écoles et divers secteurs pour permettre à chacun de tirer parti du pouvoir du sport pour améliorer le monde.