04:36Shortly before the start of the Paralympic Games on August 24, leading athletes from different countries expressed their expectations for the Games held amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference in Tokyo, Sunday.
For US Para Archery silver medalist Matz Stutzman it was initially a disappointment to learn that the competitions will take place without an audience.
"I feed off of an audience. I love to perform in front of people. I love showing people what I can do," he said.
Nevertheless, the Paralympians agreed that the pandemic and the associated restrictions allowed them to have a new perspective on their disciplines.
"There were times that we could not train because of the state of emergency and when we went back to the training it taught us how fun sport is. Also seeing our teammates work together towards the same goal, those days were extremely valuable for us," said Para Taekwondo fighter Shoko Ota.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held between August 24 and September 5.
Japan: Paralympians share their expectations at Tokyo presser ahead of Games
Shortly before the start of the Paralympic Games on August 24, leading athletes from different countries expressed their expectations for the Games held amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference in Tokyo, Sunday.
For US Para Archery silver medalist Matz Stutzman it was initially a disappointment to learn that the competitions will take place without an audience.
"I feed off of an audience. I love to perform in front of people. I love showing people what I can do," he said.
Nevertheless, the Paralympians agreed that the pandemic and the associated restrictions allowed them to have a new perspective on their disciplines.
"There were times that we could not train because of the state of emergency and when we went back to the training it taught us how fun sport is. Also seeing our teammates work together towards the same goal, those days were extremely valuable for us," said Para Taekwondo fighter Shoko Ota.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held between August 24 and September 5.
Shortly before the start of the Paralympic Games on August 24, leading athletes from different countries expressed their expectations for the Games held amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference in Tokyo, Sunday.
For US Para Archery silver medalist Matz Stutzman it was initially a disappointment to learn that the competitions will take place without an audience.
"I feed off of an audience. I love to perform in front of people. I love showing people what I can do," he said.
Nevertheless, the Paralympians agreed that the pandemic and the associated restrictions allowed them to have a new perspective on their disciplines.
"There were times that we could not train because of the state of emergency and when we went back to the training it taught us how fun sport is. Also seeing our teammates work together towards the same goal, those days were extremely valuable for us," said Para Taekwondo fighter Shoko Ota.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are scheduled to be held between August 24 and September 5.