My experience at the Tokyo Paralympics was a memorable one because of many reasons. The excitement was ever-present but there was something entirely unique about attending the Paralympics while the coronavirus wreaked havoc.

This was my first Paralympics and I served as the Deputy Head of the Indian Contingent. My role was all encompassing wherein I took care of the transportation of our athletes, media interactions, & translating conversations amongst many other things. I assumed the role of a leader by organizing everyone and my mentor, our Chief Athletic Coach Mr. Satyanarayana, guided me throughout this new adventure.

We reached Tokyo on the 19th of August and keeping the COVID protocols in mind, our contingent was not allowed to travel together. However, the journey was one without hiccups owing to the hard work of the Tokyo2020 volunteers and the Japanese authorities.
Moreover, we were provided with an accreditation card for our entry into Japan and hence didn’t need visas.

Proceeding with our journey, we were taken to the Games Village from the airport and I was beginning to realize that the safety of each and every contingent is the priority of the authorities. Maintaining social distancing, we were not packed into buses, rather some of them carried only 3-4 people.

What came next was one of the most challenging part of my journey: Quarantine. We had a three-day quarantine during which we were not allowed to interact with other people, especially with those from other contingents.

Additionally, we had to eat our meals on a separate floor inside a glass cubicle. The excitement was a little subdued as we could not venture out and explore the city, but I understood why these protocols were necessary.

Another striking incident that comes to my mind is that, originally, in the opening march past ceremony, Rio Paralympics Gold Medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu was to lead the Indian contingent but regrettably, someone on his flight to Tokyo tested positive. 5 other contingent members were also quarantined, but I can happily say that during the regular testing of over 20 days, no one got infected.