Royal well-wishes! Prince William and Kate Middleton share a good luck message to Team GB Paralympians ahead of the opening ceremony in Tokyo
- Prince William and Kae Middleton have sent their best wishes to Team GB
- The Paralympic games are kicking off in Tokyo today, will go until 5 September
- Cambridges shared their support on social media under #impossibletoignore
Prince William and Kate Middleton have sent their support to Team GB ahead of this year’s Paralympic Games.
The couple, both 39, marked the kick off of the event today on social media, saluting athletes competing for Great Britain and from around the world.
The 24th edition of the Paralympic games is beginning today and will last until 5 September, seeing amazing sportsmen and women give their best to bring home a title.
This comes after Team GB brought 65 medals home – including 22 gold – at this year’s mainstream Game, which finished on 8 August.
Kate Middleton and Prince William, both 39, have sent their support to team GB to mark the start of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo today (pictured in May in Edinburg)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have reshared on their Instagram story a post fromthe official ParalympicsGB Instagram account, pictured
‘Wishing ParalympicsGB and all the athletes from around the world the best of luck in this year’s #Paralympics,’ a message shared by the Kensington Royal Twitter account read this morning.
‘We can’t wait to see the talent and skill displayed over the next two weeks #ImpossibleToIgnore,’ it went on.
Impossible to Ignore is a campaign by the British Paralympic Association, aiming to make the 13.9 million disabled people in the UK more visible.
It saw light after research found the Paralympics played a crucial role in changing’s people’s perception of what an able body is.
Sharing the message on their Twitter and Instagram accounts, Kensington Royal used the #impossibleToIgnore, which is the team’s motto for the Paralympics
Team GB have real medal chances in powerlifting, para-athletics, para-swimming, para-cycling and Boccia this year, after gathering 147 medals at the Paralympics Games of Rio.
The 228-strong team received generous funding ahead of the Games, and expectations are high as ParalympicsGB is competing in 19 out of 22 categories.
Powerlifter Ali Jawad is out to improve on his silver medal from Rio 2016, 42-year-old para-athlete David Weir makes his long-awaited return.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Maisie Summers-Newton will take on flag-bearer Ellie Simmonds in the pool.
Sportsmail has picked out five Team GB athletes to keep an eye out for in Tokyo.
Ali Jawad (Powerlifting)
Ali Jawad will aim to lift more than three times his bodyweight and improve on his silver in Rio
Born with no legs, Jawad will aim to lift more than three times his bodyweight and improve on his silver in Rio, in the 59kg final.
Beyond his considerable sporting chances, his intelligence and personality, the 32-year-old is simply an astonishing sportsman to watch perform.
Maisie Summers- Newton (Para-swimming)
Maisie Summers-Newton, pictured is taking on Ellie Simmonds, who inspired her back at London 2012
Another sensation from the stable of British Para-swimmers.
The 19-year-old European champion and world record holder is taking on Ellie Simmonds, who also has achondroplasia and inspired her in London.
The 200m individual medley is the race where the two will fight it out.
David Weir (Para-athletics)
David Weir, pictured quit after leaving Rio 2016 without a medal but he’ll be in the 1,500m and 5,000m
A must-watch, not least because Weir is in Tokyo on a quest for personal redemption.
The 42-year-old quit his sport after arriving in Rio hoping to emulate his four-gold haul from London 2012 but left without a medal.
Now he is back, competing in the 1500m and 5,000m.
David Smith (Boccia)
For many, Boccia is the heartbeat of the Paralympics and David Smith, pictured, is at the top of that game
For many, Boccia, the precision ball sport similar to bowls, is the heartbeat of the Paralympics.
Smith, reigning Paralympic and world champion, is at the top of that game.
The 32-year-old has won four medals from his previous three Games, including team gold at Beijing 2008 and individual gold in Rio.
Jaco van Gass (Para-cycling)
Jaco Van Gass, pictured, was serving in Afghanistan when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade
This 35-year-old, seeking five golds across track and road, has had some journey indeed.
Van Gass was serving in the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan in 2009 when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
It left him with a collapsed lung and he lost his left arm at the elbow. He is irrepressible.
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