Six Icelanders Compete at Paralympics

The opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games was held in at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday, Morgunblaðið reports. Six Icelanders compete at the event, which will continue through September 5. Track-and-field athlete Patrekur Andrés Axelsson and swimmer Thelma Björg Björnsdóttir were Iceland’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony. Of the six Icelandic contestants, only Thelma has competed at Paralympics before.

Representing Iceland, in addition to Patrekur and Thelma, are swimmers Róbert Ísak Jónsson and Már Gunnarsson, track-and-field athlete Bergrún Ósk Aðalsteinsdóttir, and para-cyclist (competing in hand cycling) Arna Sigríður Albertsdóttir.

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960, while the first winter Paralympic Games were held in 1976 in Sweden. The event is held the same year as the Olympic Games and for the past years, the two games have been held in the same city, the Paralympics beginning shortly after the Olympics conclude.

This year, more athletes than ever, or 4,400 from 161 countries, compete at the Paralympics in 22 sports. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no spectators are allowed at the event.

The Icelandic contestants. Photo/The National Paralympic Committee of Iceland Special Olympics