With a great party and with Espinillo as standard-bearer, the 2020 Paralympic Games were closed

09/05/2021 7:54 PM

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 09/05/2021 19:56

The

Paralympic Games

came to an end this Sunday and the countdown to Paris 2024 has already begun. With a spectacular ceremony, in which there was no lack of color, music and fireworks,

Tokyo 2020 was

finally closed

, which began on 23 July with the Olympic Games and that continued from August 24 with the Paralympics.

And one of the great protagonists of the closing event was

Maximiliano Espinillo

, the scorer of

Los Murcielagos

, who after

winning the silver medal with the National Football Team for the Blind, after falling in the final against Brazil

, was chosen to

represent the Argentine delegation as standard bearer.

# Tokyo2020 The closing ceremony of the #JuegosParalimpicos with Maxi Espinillo, scorer of Los Murcielagos, as national standard-bearer 🇦🇷.

Total pride 💙

🎥 @ canaldeportv pic.twitter.com/EPcCKKjPmq

- Sports Argentina (@DeportesAR) September 5, 2021

Thus, accompanied by

Darío Lencina

, the historic Los Murcielagos goalkeeper, Maxi carried the flag

that he represented so well during all these days of competition in Tokyo. 

The best of the closing ceremony.

Reuters.

The closing event included a lively ceremony in which, through the construction of a city without barriers, a global message of inclusion and diversity was transmitted.

The event began with a story about a boy who witnessed the Games and was caught by the "spell of the so-called Paralympic effect."

Inspired by the countless stories of self-improvement that he witnessed throughout the 12 days of competition,

the boy begins to play music, guided by his intuition.

A sequence of sounds and dances with electronic music gave prominence to Inma, a virtual model,

just before the Japanese flag appeared in the center of the stadium. 

The best of the closing ceremony.

Reuters.

The parade of the countries according to the Japanese alphabet, with their respective flag bearers, took place while a hundred volunteers danced and applauded the passage of the athletes.

Each of the protagonists was leaving the flag at a fixed point to shape the so-called inclusive city. 

The choreographer Takeatsu Nashimoto designed for the occasion a dance in which all kinds of people could show themselves "

without distinction of gender, age or disability, and proudly showing his love for his own creativity and talent for interpretation". 

The best of the closing ceremony.

AFP

With the Paralympic anthem in the background, the International Paralympic Committee flag was finally lowered and handed over to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and IPC President Andrew Parsons of Brazil.

Both gave it to the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. 

To celebrate the transfer of headquarters, the French city offered an artistic segment of what it intends to be the Games in 2024,

a celebration open to all without discrimination to value the determination of athletes with disabilities.

The best of the closing ceremony.

Reuters.

"We can have conviction, determination and if we work hard the changes will become visible.

T he impact of the Paralympic Games offers a powerful message for everyone. Changes begin with progress and we must build a diverse world, with changes in society.

I believe in the value of building a better society, "said Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee. 

The ceremony concluded with the song 'What a wonderful world', by Louis Armstrong

, performed by Atsushi Okuno and Yuina Koshio.

The best of the closing ceremony.

AFP

Argentina and a historic performance

In some very special Paralympic Games, marked by the

coronavirus

pandemic

and which also had to be postponed in 2020 due to the advance of Covid-19 around the world,

the Argentine delegation had a historic performance with nine medals and 32 diplomas.

In this way, he closed his best performance in the last 25 years.

The best of the closing ceremony.

AFP

On that occasion the delegation also added nine medals, but they

were 2 gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze.

Thus, Argentina occupied the 38th position in the overall medal table, out

of 104 participating countries.

In Tokyo 2020 the country finished in 63rd place.

All the medals of Argentina

Brian Impellizzeri (Athletics - Silver Long Jump T37).

Fernando Carlomagno (Swimming - Silver in 100m backstroke S7).

Hernán Urra (Athletics - Silver in shot put F35).

Matías De Andrade (Swimming - Silver in the 100 meters backstroke S6)

Los Murcielagos (Silver in football for the blind).

Antonella Ruiz Díaz (Athletics - Bronze in shot put F41).

Yanina Martínez (Athletics - Bronze in the 200 meters T36)

Juan Samorano (Taekwondo - Bronze in K44 up to 75 kilos).

Alexis Chávez (Athletics - Silver in the 100 meters T36).

Look also

Alexis Chávez, bronze in the 100 meters T36

Espinillo, figure of Los Murcielagos, will be the standard bearer of the closing ceremony

Historic Argentine participation in the Paralympic Games