A nation of locked-down Australians can gain a much-needed lesson from the Paralympic Games that begin next week in Tokyo, says Paralympic Team co-captain Ryley Batt.

The country’s 179 Paralympians – the biggest contingent to any overseas Games – were not a sympathy story, but a group of hardened athletes out to test themselves, and that offered motivation for people at home suffering under COVID-19 restrictions, wheelchair rugby athlete Batt said.