“Over the last two weeks, Channel 4 has engaged millions of British viewers with the awe-inspiring feats of elite athletes from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games”, Channel 4 chief executive David Abraham said.
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“Bravo to our paralympic athletes in Rio!” Speaking to The Guardian, he said “Bahman was one of the most hard-working active athletes that we’ve had”.
Family and friends gathered at London’s Heathrow airport early on Tuesday morning to welcome home the athletes, who had been treated to Champagne aboard the return flight from Rio. “You made the Paralympics your Games, the people’s Games, and we will forever cherish our time spent with you”.
Weightlifter Amal Mahmoud, who won a bronze medal in the women’s under-67 kg category, criticized all TV channels fiercely for ignoring the event, in contrast to the Olympic Games, which recieved huge coverage.
“I said I’d go to the Paralympics four years ago but to come out on top after competing there I’m pretty happy and it’s a dream come true”.
The Ukrainian team finished third in the overall team standings, trailing China and Great Britain. The tally was 33 medals more than during the previous games held in London.
“It’s not just about the success of the team in regards to medals, but also the fact we came together as a family to achieve that incredible feat”.
“We were confident she could make the podium”.
This is the first Paralympics to be closed on the South American soil at Rio de Janeiro.
She said her teammates performances, some across multiple sports, had given her “goosebumps” and said despite predictions of low crowds and safety concerns, the Paralympics in Brazil “just was brilliant”. The host nation closed out the Paralympic Games with 72 medals, 14 golds, 29 silvers and 29 bronzes.
China also had unprecedented success in events such as wheelchair racing – winning 16 finals – and wheelchair fencing, which yielded nine gold medals. Full details of the two-day celebration have yet to be released.
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Alexis Schafer, commercial and marketing director for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said: “The positive response of viewers to the coverage illustrates the excellence of Paralympic athletes and the level of competition at the Rio Games”.
