In conjunction with the 24th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Paralympics, a commemorative event was held in Tokyo, and the Japanese wheelchair basketball team played an exhibition match.
At the Ariake Arena in Koto Ward, Tokyo, which was the venue for the Tokyo Paralympics wheelchair basketball, an event was held to commemorate the first year since the opening.
At the event, the women's Japanese national team played against the Spanish national team in a wheelchair basketball exhibition match, and on the 24th, a large number of fans packed into the venue, which was basically without spectators at the Tokyo Paralympics.
In the match, captain KITADA Chihiro showed great performance with her signature rebounds and shots, earning a big round of applause from the audience for her passionate play.
After the match, Kitada said, "I was able to play comfortably. I think that people will be interested in parasports by showing us how we play hard and have fun, so I want to play hard."
At the venue, a wheelchair basketball experience session was held after this, and about 60 local elementary and junior high school students who participated interacted with Japanese and Spanish representative players.
After receiving instruction from the athletes on how to use the wheelchairs for competitions and how to handle the ball, the children played in a real-life match. I was chasing the ball hard.
A 4th grade girl said, "It was difficult to turn in a wheelchair, but it was really fun. Seeing the athletes doing their best up close made me want to cheer them on."
A commemorative ceremony was held, and Governor Koike of Tokyo said, "Both hard and soft barrier-free progress has been made, and we have taken a step forward toward an inclusive society. Taking today as a new opportunity, we will further develop the para sports movement. I want to do it," he said.
Next, Kazuyuki Mori, chairman of the JPC = Japan Paralympic Committee, expressed his intention to continue promoting the spread of parasports in commemoration of the one year anniversary of the establishment of "Japan Paralympic Day".