Formal English Name: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Opening Duration: From August 24 (Tuesday), 2021 to September 5 (Sunday), 2021

Number of Sports: 22 Sports (Competition venues were sports

facilities located in Tokyo Metropolis).

Opening Sites: Tokyo Metropolis

Major governing bodies: International Paralympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committees

Number of Participating Countries and Regions:

161 Countries and Regions

An Explanatory Meeting for NF Team Doctors on The Vaccination

Date of Opening: June 3, 2021

Method of Meeting: On-line method by using zoom

Object of the Meeting: The meeting this time was to inform team doctors of the details of vaccination, which was to be conducted to members of the Japanese delegation with free vaccine presented by Pfizer Japan. The vaccination this time was for the opening of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games with safety and free from anxiety. Before the vaccination, we obtained the acknowledgement of team doctors of the delegation and noticed to sport organizations for the impaired on the vaccination.

Explanation on Side Effects

• It is important to make all the athletes known the side effects of vaccination in each sport organization considering athletes with anxiety about side effects of vaccination. When serious situation specific to each impairment is discovered, athletes are encouraged to inform team doctors of the situation.
• Prior prescription of acetaminophen (antipyretic analgesic agent)
• First, team doctors shall explain side effects of the vaccination to athletes and obtain their acknowledgement. Then doctors must explain athletes how to cope with side effects including fever after the vaccination.

Training After the Vaccination

• Team doctors must explain athletes how to spend the day of the vaccination and how to do training the day after the vaccination.
• Team doctors must inform the Medical Committee of Japanese Para-Sports Association in the case of sequelae.

Vaccination This Time

• Team doctors must explain athletes that the vaccination this time is not obligatory but recommendable to obtain their acknowledgement.
• Vaccinated athletes with serious impairment, epilepsy, diseases specific to each impairment, or allergic reactions including anaphylaxis must consult their attending physicians prior to the vaccination.

Explanation to Athletes

• The vaccination this time is not obligatory but recommendable
• Vaccinated athletes with serious impairment, epilepsy, diseases specific to each impairment, details of their treatment, or the presence of allergic reactions must consult their attending physicians prior to the vaccination.

When Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was held for 13 days between August 24 and September 5, 2021, while the fifth wave of COVID-19 infection was spreading.

As the prior measurement to cope with the COVID-19 infection, vaccination was enforced to participating athletes three weeks before the opening of the Paralympic Games; as a result, the vaccination was completed in 70 % or more of members of the Japanese delegation.

During Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, team doctors grasped changes of physical conditions, conducted salivary-antigen test and preventive measures against the COVID-19 infection by using OCHA(Online Check-in and Health report Application) and ICON(Tokyo 2020 Infection Control Support System) every day.

As for countermeasures against COVID-19 infection, we conducted the thorough disinfection of fingers, regular wearing of masks except the time of spending in each athlete’s room, eating meals in silence which were similar to those in Olympic Games. Besides, we fixed floor mats to disinfect wheels in wheel chairs and sprinkled disinfectants regularly. Many Paralympic athletes are using crutches or protheses other than wheel chairs. Besides, some athletes are grooming or eating meals with their toes due to the lack of functions in upper limbs; in another case, some athletes are spending daily lives or in competition venues with their carers because of quadriplegia. Because of the said reasons, we anticipated that the infection risks with COVID-19 of Paralympic athletes shall be higher that that of Olympic athletes. Therefore, we prepared for the isolation of infected athletes with their carrier. Fortunately, there was no infected member in the Japanese delegation during Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and we were able to greet the closing of the Games.

Incidence Rate Of ?OVID-19 Infection

According to the survey conducted by the Organizing Committee, the number of athletes and officials related to Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games was 54,234 ; 54 persons were diagnosed positive and the positive rate of 0.1% in the airport; in the examination of 1,008,479 cases in the Athlete’ Village or competition venues under the administration of the Games, 310 persons were diagnosed positive with the positive rate of 0.03%.

Figure 1: Number of Visitors to the Athletes’ Village of the Japanese Delegation During Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Diagnosed Persons in The Medical Room (Vertical Lines) [3]

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was open in 2021 with the belated one year?due to the spread of Covid-19 infection. The Games this time had extremely many problems with diverse kinds concerning routes from the entry into and departure from Japan, competition venues, the Athletes’ Village, a clinic, a dining room, and the other facilities in terms of material and personnel both. However, very fortunately, the spread of Covid-19 infection, which was our source of anxiety was not there during the Games. Therefore, it was deserving special mention that Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games closed without any problem.

Realization of “the Founding of the State” in which everyone can spend happy and rich life through sports activities

1. National and international permeation of Olympic and Paralympic spirits.
2. Influence brought about by the enhancement of sports-conscious tendency and the activation of regional sports.
3. Improvement of international competitive performances of elite athletes.
4. Improvement of international status of impaired athletes, clearness and fairness of sports circles as a whole.
5. Reformation of public’s consciousness and realization of symbiotic society motivated by Paralympic Games.

Culture: Promotion of sufficient understanding of diverse cultures in Japan and active utilization of cultural resources

1. Nationwide development of regional cultural events as “cultural programs”
2. Enforcement of progressive cultures and arts
3. Attraction of people all over the world and increase the number of

foreign visitors to Japan by the utilization of national cultural facilities.

Innovation: Dispatch of the accumulation of research with its results in Japan and the proof of the latest scientific technologies

1. Society with health and longevity.
2. Society in which people can spend rich life in food, clothing, and housing.
3. Universal symbiotic society
4. Progressive society with manufacturing goods
5. Society without energy restrictions
6. Utilization of all the technologies for Olympic and Paralympic Games
7. Legend society
8. Society with frontier spirits

Society with Humanity

Society which promotes and supports activities of young people so that they can think and behave themselves in solving regional, social, and global problems

Society with Universality

Realization of The Community in Which Everyone Can Be Active Regardless of Age, Gender, Or Impairment [4]

As for legacies from the viewpoint of sports for the impaired, the Organizing Committee of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and Japanese Government cite “diversity and harmony” as one of the visionary concepts of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. “Diversity and harmony” are the themes of the legacies and the details are as follows: abolition of prejudice and discrimination; promotion of the establishment of symbiotic society in deference to barrier-free circumstances; promotion of the generalization of normalization recommended by Spiri in Motion of IPC; promotion of grass-roots sports activities for the impaired; promotion of better understanding of the impaired for sports coaches and guidance for them in regions; preparation of information network and support of it with the participation of social welfare workers; and the promotion of symbiotic society with substantial regional welfare policy with support and help of the impaired, the elderly, and children [5].

1. In this report, we mentioned medical support in Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
2. We conducted countermeasure against the spread of COVID-19 infection in the Athletes’ Village, competition venues, and sports utensils.
3. We were able to restrain the spread of COVID?19 infection to the minimum level, which led to the closing of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games without any trouble.
4. We studied legacies remained in Tokyo Metropolis. Besides, we mentioned the promotion of symbiotic society for the nonimpaired and the impaired motivated by Paralympic Games with the succession of IPC spirits.

1. Organizing Committees of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games?
2. Hada Y. Preventive Measures for COVID-19 Infection in Athletes Village. Report of Japanese Para-Sports Association. 2021.
3. Hada Y. Medical Activities on Tokyo 2020 Paralympic. 33th Meeting on Japanese Journal of Clinical Sports Medicine. 2022.
4. Tokyo Action plan and Legacy After Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee. 2021.
5. Suyama T, Kikuchi M. 100year old life era. The Journal of the Japan Medical Society of Spinal Cord. 58.