Under the banner of ‘The World United in One’, Tokyo 1964 opened under<br />the watchful eyes of the Crown Prince and Princess Michiko, the<br />Japanese Minister of Welfare, the Governor of Tokyo and the founding<br />father of the Paralympic Movement, Sir Ludwig Guttmann. The gathered<br />dignitaries watched the athletes’ parade, lead into the Oda Field<br />within the Olympic Village by Japanese Marching Girls. The youngsters<br />carried drums on which they sounded-out a beat for the leaders of the<br />procession. Charlie Atkinson, accompanied by a British ex-guardsmen and<br />two Japanese athletes, marched whilst carrying the banner of the Stoke<br />Mandeville Games. Hundreds of people watched as speeches were delivered<br />by the Crown Prince and other representatives. Guttmann made a gesture<br />of the gratitude of the Paralympic Movement by presenting medals to the<br />Crown Prince, the Minister of Welfare, the Governor of Tokyo and Mr.<br />Kasai, Chairperson of the Organising Committee. In his speech, Guttmann<br />said “I hope most sincerely that the 1964 International Stoke<br />Mandeville Games […] will go down in history as another milestone in<br />the development of sport for the disabled and one of humanity’s finest<br />achievements.” The oath was taken by a Japanese athlete who pledged his<br />commitment to the three ideals of the Games - friendship, unity and<br />sportsmanship. Marking the climax of the Opening Ceremony, hundreds of<br />doves were released into the autumn sky to symbolise peace and the<br />freedom and beauty of movement. Finally, the teams were greeted and<br />inspected by the Crown Prince and Princess accompanied by Guttmann and<br />Mr. Kasai, before members of the national Self Defence Force performed<br />a colourful display of fencing. Holding up a mirror to the past The<br />Closing Ceremony of Tokyo 1964 was held in the great indoor gymnasium,<br />again under the patronage of the Crown Prince and Princess. The venue<br />was packed with a capacity crowd of 5,000, with many having to stand<br />just to catch a glimpse of the ceremony. The athletes and teams,<br />dressed in their official uniforms, were escorted by the same Japanese<br />Defence Force, this time bearing the national flag of each country. The<br />Crown Princess presented a variety of trophies and was followed by<br />speeches by Guttmann, a representative of the Prime Minister of Japan,<br />the Minister of Health and the Governor of Tokyo. Everybody present<br />collectively sang Auld Lang Syne and as the sound of thousands of<br />people joining together rang-out, the atmosphere was unforgettable and<br />truly celebratory. In a mark of the gravity and impact of the Games,<br />young Japanese students and children clamoured to catch the hats of the<br />athletes and participants who were moved to toss them into the<br />gathering crowds. “Not much of a Closing Ceremony,” remembered Walton.<br />“But in my experience, most closings seem to be a party, which that one<br />was as well, but no real Closing Ceremony.”
