The competition took place in five sports: Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, biathlon, ice-sledge speed racing, and ice-sledge hockey. In each sport, athletes were grouped according to the type and extent of their disability. Competitors in the skiing and biathlon events used special equipment, such as ski poles with outriggers and ski-chairs. Sledge competitors used seats mounted on two skate blades. Japanese athletes turned in a world-leading performance as they reaped the rewards of their hard training.

Spectators found first-class competition in every event--from Alpine skiers who achieved speeds over 90 kilometers per hour on the steep downhills, to ice-sledge hockey players who fiercely defended their goals by ramming their sledge-fitted chairs into attackers. The action captivated audiences all over the world, who were moved both by the athletes' diligently honed strength and by the strong spirit behind their hard training.

Working Behind the Scenes
The Winter Paralympic Games in Nagano were held with the support of about 3,000 volunteers, such as athlete assistants and ushers. Half of these volunteers had also volunteered at the Olympic Winter Games held in February, and since October 1997 had undergone training in how to assist people with disabilities.

A large number of Nagano citizens went out of their way to make things easier for these people; for example, merchants added wheelchair ramps at stairs and other drop-offs, and placed stickers at shop entrances to indicate wheelchair accessibility.

From mid-January, the producer of the closing ceremony made announcements in newspapers and over the Internet calling for people to make and donate origami cranes with which to decorate the venue. The total number of cranes easily surpassed the initial goal of a million set by the organizers: By closing day, they had amassed 7.5 million cranes from 350,000 groups and individuals. The folded paper cranes, believed to ensure the realization of one's prayers, created a splash of color above the athletes' heads as the stadium was filled with cheers for the highly successful Games. The Winter Paralympic Games in Nagano were lavishly praised for bringing people of differing abilities together and for the heartwarming display of cooperation among all participants.

Athletics for Disabled People
Of the estimated 5 million people in Japan with disabilities, about 15,000, or 0.3%, participate in competitive sports. This percentage is smaller than in most European and North American countries; the percentage in Norway, for example, is about 2%. While sports geared toward people with disabilities have not really caught on in Japan yet, it is certain that the Games in Nagano gave a major boost to public awareness of such sports. As soon as the Games started, the Japanese Sports Association for the Disabled began receiving a flood of telephone calls from people with disabilities asking how they could get involved and receive coaching.

Sports geared toward people with disabilities face many obstacles, however. For example, ice-sledge racing damages rinks because the players propel themselves forward by jabbing sharp-ended sticks into the ice. It is therefore difficult for racers to secure practice space. Although the Japanese team did well in ice-sledge racing, there are grave doubts as to whether this sport can survive.

Paralympic sports also face financial problems. The Japanese government budgeted 144 million yen (1.1 million U.S. dollars at 135 yen to the dollar) for the three years starting in FY 1995 to boost the level of Paralympic athletes' performance, but appropriations for the next fiscal year and beyond is zero. Few countries provide subsidies or bonuses to Paralympic athletes, as France does. In most countries, the athletes face the difficult situation of training while holding full-time jobs, and Japan is no exception. To encourage more disabled people to take up athletic competition, the government and the general public will have to show their support by seeking corporate sponsors and establishing Paralympic sport associations.