Summer Paralympics to be held without spectators

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The 16th Summer Paralympic Games will be held almost without spectators amid coronavirus pandemic.   

 All fans will be barred except for the possibility of some children attending a few unspecified events.

The decision was announced after a meeting with International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons, organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa.

The 16th Summer Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo from August 24 to September 5, bringing together 4,400 athletes.

Formerly scheduled to take place in 2020, the Summer Paralympics was postponed amid coronavirus pandemic. 

This year marks the second time Tokyo has hosted the Paralympics, as they were first hosted there in 1964 alongside the 1964 Summer Olympics.

These Games will see the introduction of badminton and taekwondo to the Paralympic programme, replacing sailing and 7-a-side football.

Some 36 paralympians will represent Azerbaijan in 6 sport competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games.

Samir Nabiyev, Elvin Astanov,Olokhan Musayev, Said Najafzadeh, Kamil Aliyev, Orkhan Aslanov, Elena Chebanu, Elmir Jabrayilov, Yulia Yanovskaya, Lamia Veliyeva, Hamid Heydarli and Orkhan Gasimov will compete for the medals in athletics.

The judo team includes Shahana Hajiyeva (-48 kg), Besti Safarova (-52kg), Sevda Veliyeva (-57 kg), Khanum Huseynova (-63 kg), Dursadaf Karimova (+70 kg), Vugar Shirinli (-60 kg), Namig Abasli (-66 kg), Ramil Gasimov (-73 kg), Huseyn Rahimli (-81 kg), Kanan Abdullahanli (-100 kg), Ilham Zakiyev (+100 kg).

Some 4 taekwondo fighters will represent Azerbaijan in Tokyo: Royala Fataliyeva (-49 kg), Aynur Mammadova (+58 kg), Imameddin Khalilov (-61 kg), Abulfaz Abuzarli (-75 kg), while the swimming team includes Raman Saleh, Veli Israfilov and Dana Shandibina.

In the powerlifting, Azerbaijan will be represented by Parvin Mamedov (-49 kg), Nurlan Babadjanov (-97 kg), Elshan Huseynov (-107 kg) and Shamo Aslanov (+107 kg).

The shooting team includes Elena Taranova and Kamran Zeynalov.

This competition will be the seventh for the Azerbaijani Paralympic Movement, which  made its debut at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta.

So far, national paralympians have won 38 medals at the Paralympic Games - 9 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani athletes have won seven medals at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Karate fighters Rafael Aghayev (75 kg), Irina Zaretska (+61 kg) and freestyle wrestler Haji Aliyev (65 kg)  enriched the country's medal haul with silver medals.

The bronze medals came from judoka Irina Kindzerska (+78 kg), boxer Alfonso Domínguez (81 kg), Greco-Roman wrester Rafig Huseynov (77 kg) and wrestler Maria Stadnik (50 kg).

US team won the overall medal standings with 39 gold, 41 silver and 33 bronze medals. Chinese team became second, while Japan ranked third.