The closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, September 5, 2021. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
|
Among the attendees were Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan, Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike, and President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Andrew Parsons.
The Games took place in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic raging the world and spectators not allowed to the competition sites to watch and cheer on the athletes.
During the 12 days of official games, more than 4,400 athletes from 162 countries and territories plus refugee sports delegation competed for 539 sets of medals in 32 sports, of which two sports were introduced for the first time in the Paralympics: badminton and taekwondo.
China maintained the world's No.1 position with 96 gold medals. The UK came in second with 41 gold, followed by the US with 37 gold medals. The Japanese sports delegation showed great progress when it won 13 gold medals. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Japanese athletes failed to win a gold medal.
Vietnam ranked 75th with a silver medal of weightlifter Le Van Cong who lifted a total of 137kg in the men's 49-kg weight category.
At the end of the closing ceremony, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko handed over the Paralympic flag to Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, the host city of the 2024 Paralympic Games.