The rest of the 4,403 Paralympic athletes in Tokyo — a record number for any Paralympics — will be telling their stories until the closing ceremony.
"I feel like I'm meeting movie stars," said 14-year-old Ugandan swimmer Husnah Kukundakwe, who is competing for the first time.
Paralympic organizers played a part last week in launching "WeThe15," a human-rights campaign aimed at 1.2 billion people — 15% of the global population — with disabilities. They've also produced a 90-second video to promote the cause of social inclusion.
"Difference is a strength, it is not a weakness," Parsons said, speaking in the largely empty stadium. "And as we build back better in the post-pandemic world, it must feature societies where opportunities exist for all."
Shingo Katori, a member of boy band SMAP that had its roots in the 1980s, now works with Paralympic organizers. He acknowledged his early fears of working with people with disabilities.
"Frankly speaking, people in wheelchairs or people with artificial legs — I hadn't had an opportunity to meet these people and I didn't know how to communicate with them," he said. "But through Paralympic sports, such hesitation faded away."
