“I also encourage all Canadians to provide our returning athletes with the warmest of welcomes home and to celebrate what they have accomplished during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games”.
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Flags with the word “love” inscribed in various languages took over the centre of the stadium – where the Paralympians were seated – before a stunning fireworks show closed the party.
ParalympicsGB won 64 golds, the most by a British team since 1988, and 147 medals in total.
A minute’s silence was observed to mark the death of an Iranian para-cyclist in the men’s road race on Sunday, the first ever fatality in Paralympic Games history.
There was also a sense of celebration in Rio following a successful Paralympics that at one stage looked as though it might not even have a closing ceremony.
The head of that country’s Olympic Committee, Carlos Nuzman was among the notables offering congratulations to China’s success.
Louis was inspired to try competitive track cycling after watching the London Games in 2012, and will compete alongside some of the biggest names in Paralympic sport during his time in Rio.
The United States and Britain are the only other nations to win more than 100 gold medals at a single Paralympics.
Some 17 gold medals came in team events, compared to just three in London four years ago.
“The IPC confirm that Golbarnezhad, 48, was involved in a crash at around 1040 on the first section of the Grumari loop, a mountainous stretch of the course”, the International Paralympic Committee said.
The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Philip Craven passed the Paralympic flag to the governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike.
After being booed in his brief appearance at the opening ceremony, Brazil’s interim President Michel Temer didn’t attend.
With the Paralympics concluded, the final medal tally had China sitting atop the medals table with 239 medals, including 107 golds.
Lucy Ejike achieved an impressive powerlift of 142 kilograms, taking the gold medal for Nigeria and busting the women’s world record for the -61 kilogram category in powerlifting, reported Guinness World Records.
As planned by the coaching staff, the national team won 10 medals – 8 gold and 2 bronze ones, advancing to the top 20 in the medal standings.
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The gap between the Olympic and Paralympic performances is gradually blurring with disabled athletes breaking records after records in Rio.
