With the Tokyo Olympic Games providing the nation with a welcome respite from the Covid-19 news cycle, it’s time for the Paralympics to welcome the world back to Tokyo with the official Opening Ceremony.
Like the Olympic Games, Seven will be the official broadcaster of the Paralympics.
Read More: Tokyo 2020 Paralympics: Everything you need to know
The Opening Ceremony will air on Seven and 7plus at 9:15pm AEST on Tuesday, August 24, kicking off another 12 days of competition.
Olympic Stadium, which hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, will also be the site of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony.
Carrying the flag for Australia will be co-captains Danni di Toro and Ryley Batt – di Toro will be representing Australia in table tennis, while Batt competes in the wheelchair rugby team. They will be the only members of Australia’s Paralympic team in the stadium, due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns.
The theme of the Opening Ceremony is “united by emotion”.
Ceremony Broadcast
Kurt Fearnley and Annabelle Williams will anchor Seven’s Olympic Ceremony coverage, alongside Johanna Griggs.
Kurt Fearnley
One of Australia’s greatest sporting stars, Kurt has had a glittering wheelchair racing career, winning 13 medals, including three Gold, across five Paralympic Games in events ranging from the 100m relay to the marathon. This will be the first Paralympic Games since his retirement in 2018.
Annabelle Williams
During her swimming career, Annabelle captained the Australian Paralympic swim team, broke five world records and won numerous medals for Australia, including gold at the Paralympic Games London 2012. Her achievements out of the pool are just as impressive, as an accomplished sports broadcaster, international speaker and former corporate lawyer.
Johanna Griggs
Johanna represented Australia in swimming at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990, winning bronze in the 100m backstroke, before she went on to become a well known television personality on Australian screens. Johanna has been part of Seven’s coverage of almost all major sporting events, including the past six Olympic Games, tennis and horse racing, as well as hosting Better Homes and Gardens and House Rules.
Olympics Opening Ceremony
Seven claimed a massive share of 56% for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Not many might have been expecting its Olympic TV ratings would have climbed higher than that for Day One of the competition. In total, 2.12m people tuned in to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony.