“The IPC will be speaking to NPC Belarus this morning to remind them that political protests are forbidden at the Paralympic Games”, the IPC said in a statement, adding that the individual had been identified and his accreditation cancelled.
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Brazilian athlete Marcia Malsar falls as she carried the paralympic torch during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016.
The overall number of athletes in Rio eclipses the 4,302 participants that took part in London and the 3,951 who were registered in Beijing in 2008.
The country’s National Paralympic Committee appealed the ban unsuccessfully in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Russia would organize alternative competitive events on September 8-9, for the barred Russian Paralympic team and the awards for the Paralympians would be equal to those promised at the 2016 Rio Games.
Whether it was a lack of ticket sales, the closing of venues or several teams lacking the funding to send athletes to Rio, it seemed there were no end of obstacles standing in the way of organizers.
But organisers have reported a dramatic turnaround in the last few days.
The central theme of the opening ceremony was “Everybody has a heart” with the president of the International Paralympic Committee Philip Craven making a rousing speech, highlighting the inspiration behind the event.
Now sales have reached 1.6 million and are “growing every day”.
The opening ceremony began with American Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, in a wheelchair, jumping from a massive ramp from the Maracana stands and performing a back flip through a giant ring.
“Two weeks ago I said we faced unprecedented circumstances and since then we’ve seen unprecedented teamwork”, Craven told a news conference.
Russian para-athletes, who finished second behind China in the London 2012 medals table, were barred last month following a World Anti-Doping Agency report that alleged a vast state-sponsored doping program. “Our aim is to sell around 2.4 million”, he said.
More than 4300 athletes from 159 nations, plus two refugees in an independent team, are prepared to perform to the peak of their physical capabilities and change perceptions of what is possible.
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Iran’s 28-year-old powerlifter Siamand Rahman, disabled since birth, is aiming to become the first Paralympian to bench press 300kg. Participants will compete in seven sport disciplines, and workshops will be held for the remaining 11 sports.
