I'm watching on ParalympicsportTV (the Universal link, which I think is NBC-owned, didn't work to broadcast the live coverage so I'm a bit late getting started.) At left is a photo of wheelchair dancers performing prior to the opening ceremonies.
The Opening ceremony is now showing the Japanese athletes . The stadium looks full and many of the athletes are looking around in awe of the huge number of spectators. The crowd is enthusiastic and shouting and cheering for the athletes as each country arrives, bearing their flag, some of them wearing native hats. They are led in by a Chinese female in a pink dress with a hoop skirt carrying the country's name and there's large groups of Chinese cheerleaders dressed in blue skirts and white blouses and caps with red sashes dancing along the entranceway, greeting the athletes.
Many of the countries' athletes are dressed in suits, either track suits or more formal jackets. I can tell which countries have quad rugby teams due to the guys who won't let anyone push them!
The announcer said there are over a million volunteers provided by the host country for this event and the stadium is full of them, wearing variations of the blue and white theme costume, some pushing athletes or guiding them.
The ladies in the pink dresses are lining up after they finish bringing each country's athletes in and it makes quite a sight to see them in a line surrounded by the colorful outfits of each nation. As the camera pans out from the blue track of the Bird's Nest, it's amazing to see the large numbers of Paralympians and coaches. I think some folks believe this is a smaller event - it's quite impressive in terms of numbers for many nations, where their athletes are paid salaries and travel with - yes I've seen it- their own masseuses! When I played Japanese women in wheelchair tennis out at the US Open, they traveled with a crew, including coaches with clip boards writing down each play they made during our match
posting this.more to come
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