Winter Paralympic medalist Amy Purdy put her dancing skills, which she honed during “Dancing with the Stars”, on display as she performed with a robot. There had been concerns the Paralympics would follow suit, or attract even fewer spectators.
Advertisement
Financial difficulties have seen a number of venues close and there have also been worries over ticket sales.
Live copy will celebrate the achievements of the Paralympians by wishing luck to those competing that evening, as well as reacting with congratulatory messages to successful athletes to capture the atmosphere and momentum of each day’s events.
The five-time Paralympian said: ” At a Games full of inspiring stories, yours may well be the most inspiring of all”.
“The Australian Paralympic team, particularly our talented Queenslanders, are great role models and challenge community perceptions around what people with disability can achieve”.
Tomorrow the Paralympics Games gets underway.
The Australian made her debut at Heidelberg 1972 as a swimmer, switching to shooting four years later and never looked back.
They have been dogged by a Russian doping scandal and claims that the athletes’ classification system is being manipulated.
Azerbaijan will be represented by 24 athletes in the Summer Paralympic Games, which will last until September 18.
Organisers say 1.5 million tickets have now been sold and they hope all 2.5 million will eventually go.
While events such as swimming and athletics will be competitive, due to the lack of para-athletes in other disciplines many events will be demonstrations.
The target this time is one more medal than in London and second place in the medal table.
It all followed a tribute to Rio’s handsome beaches, mountainous landscapes and the joyful Cariocas – those who live in the Marvellous City.
Tom Howe, Project Manager at Sainsbury’s commented: “Our ambition is to raise awareness of these world class Paralympic competitors in Rio this summer, and to help keep sports fans connected to the action”.
Advertisement
But Brazil’s tensions also flared with thousands in the crowd chanting “Out with Temer!” as newly sworn in President Michel Temer appeared at the ceremony just days after taking over from bitter rival Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached.
