APPHOTO XMP501: Brazilian athlete Clodoaldo da Silva lights up the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016.
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China will have its biggest-ever team of 308 athletes in Rio looking to beat their 95 gold medals from London, where they topped the table for the third-straight Paralympics.
More than 4,300 athletes with disabilities, from 159 nations, including two refugees representing the Paralympic refugee team, are set to compete in 23 different sports competitions over the next eleven days. Viewers can watch features, interviews and news stories on the Olympic Channel’s Paralympic sport page at: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/sports/paralympic/.
The Paralympic Games have opened in Rio de Janeiro. “Paralympic sport and athletes are incredibly inspiring and we are honored to showcase their athletic excellence”.
The extraordinary sight of US Paralympian Aaron Wheelz jumping in his wheelchair from a 55 feet (17 meters) ramp got the crowd on its feet.
“In a country which has faced major challenges of late, Paralympians will switch your focus from perceived limitations – to a world full of possibility and endless opportunity”, Craven said.
There are many great athletes competing across weight classes in Paralympic Powerlifting, but the following are the two we’ll be following most closely.
The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Philip Craven, made a similar point with his speech.
The flame was lit in the rain and in front of the cheering crowd by Marcia Malsar, a Brazilian gold-winning Paralympian.
Also missing were 267 Russian athletes who were banned because of alleged state-sponsored doping.
Temer opened the games officially and, as he was in the Olympics when he was only the acting president, was jeered by fans chanting “Fora Temer” – Out Temer.
It would be unwise to pretend all is now well, as a mention of government from Carlos Arthur Nuzman, president of the Rio Organizing Committee, drew loud and extended boos from the Maracana crowd, forcing him to stop mid-speach for several minutes.
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There were also reports in Globo and other Brazilian media outlets that Bach is wanted for questioning by local police investigating an illegal ticket selling ring allegedly involving senior Olympic official Patrick Hickey.
