This electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases shows a new strain of the coronavirus which originated in the U.K.

       TOKYO -- Preventing coronavirus infections at the Paralympic Games will be more difficult than at the Olympics, and Paralympic athletes with respiratory disorders are especially at risk of serious illness if they contract the virus, some officials are saying.

       When foreign substances such as viruses enter the body, it attempts to dispel them out via means including coughing or hacking up phlegm. Respiratory disorders reportedly weaken this defense.

       Takayuki Hirose, 36, who represents Japan in boccia -- a discipline contested by athletes with severe cerebral and limb palsy -- said, "My normal respiratory function is like that of someone in their late 80s." If infected, he could develop symptoms as serious as those experienced by older people. Similarly, wheelchair rugby players with cervical cord injuries could also suffer respiratory problems from muscle weakness.

       Prevention measures according to the characteristics of each competition are essential, including disinfecting equipment and through hand washing by participants including caregivers.

       Yoshihisa Mano, coach of the Japan women's sitting volleyball team, a sport in which players must not lift their bottoms off the floor, said, "Because you play while touching the floor, it is different from volleyball where you play standing. I'm very worried about how far infection prevention can go."

       Athletes with visual impairment, who play with help from caregivers, have difficultly keeping a certain distance from people around them when moving. In wheelchair sports, athletes may wear gloves to control the wheels, and some with severe impairments use their mouths to remove them. Droplets on the gloves could enter their mouths.

       Unlike regular practice and competitions, there will inevitably be contact with many people involved in the Games, such as volunteers.

       Though the Olympics advocated safety and security, measures against the coronavirus weren't enough in some cases, such as athletes repeatedly leaving the Olympic Village to shop despite being under the "bubble method" cutting contact with the outside. Since July 1, a total of 540 Olympic athletes and Games-related officials have tested positive for the coronavirus.

       Although the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games does reveal whether the individual testing positive is an athlete, Games official, reporter, volunteer or in another role, information including infection status details and nationality are generally kept private.

       To prevent infections of Paralympians, figures close to the Games have called for the information's disclosure. But the organizing committee has stated that "the method of making information public will stay the same as it was in the Olympics."

       While coronavirus infections continue to spread in Japan, a Games-affiliated official indicated a sense of danger, saying, "It's an event that comes accompanied with a considerable infections risk."

       (Japanese original by Tadashi Murakami and Takumi Taniguchi, Sports News Department)

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