Mayor Bevilacqua: Vaughan cheers on Team Canada in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
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City raises Olympic flag and will illuminate Vaughan City Hall red and white in support of athletes
The following statement was issued by Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua to mark the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games:
The following statement was issued by Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua to mark the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games:
“The City of Vaughan joins athletes, fans and communities worldwide to welcome the 2020 Paralympic Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. To demonstrate our unwavering support for all athletes, I have requested that the Paralympic flag be raised outside Vaughan City Hall this morning to mark the start of the Games. City Hall will also be illuminated in red and white this evening in support of Team Canada.
“The Paralympic Games bring together diverse competitors from around the world to push for their personal best and achieve excellence. Like many others, I am inspired by the dedication, perseverance and hard work demonstrated by Team Canada’s Paralympic athletes. They have trained exceptionally hard and made many sacrifices to represent their country at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Our Paralympic athletes have also had to overcome great adversity to excel in their chosen sport. Through their tenacity, resilience and discipline, other individuals with disabilities – and young people, in particular – will be motivated to push the limits, reach higher and pursue their dreams.
“In Vaughan, our mission is to foster a barrier-free community today and for generations to come. We are laser-focused on achieving our goal of becoming a completely accessible city by 2025 through Vaughan’s 2019-2022 Multi-year Accessibility Plan. Collectively, we are working to create an equitable, inclusive and welcoming city where people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can thrive. That is because we firmly believe that everyone should have the right to access any service, program or location they choose. In doing so, we will continue to move our city forward without leaving anyone behind.
“On behalf of the citizens of Vaughan, I extend my warmest and sincerest best wishes to all athletes, including Vaughan’s Matt Cabraja – Canada’s fastest blind swimmer – who is a member of the Canadian Paralympic swimming team. Our community will be rooting for Matt and all of Team Canada as they compete in Tokyo. We know you will raise the bar even higher and make us all very proud.”
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