The four-hour ceremony climaxed with Brazilian Paralympic swimmer Clodoaldo Silva lighting the Paralympic cauldron, photo courtesy of Rio 2016.
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The International Paralympic Committee banned Russian Federation from the games because of the country’s part in a state-sponsored doping system, and identified the flag-carrier as Andrei Fomachkin.
However, as the first fireworks exploded and then disappeared into the sky above Brazil’s iconic Maracana stadium, those worries became a distant memory.
It was in this festive spirit that Iran’s 111 athletes made their debut, led by Eshrat Kordestani in white.
As each nation entered the pieces were placed on the ground, to begin forming a enormous image featuring the faces of all 4,300 Paralympians.
“And we certainly treasure this gesture of solidarity with our Paralympians, who were unjustly stripped of a chance to take part in the Paralympics”.
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.
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.
In the end, Brazilian swimmer Klodoaldo Silva lit the torch of Paralympic Games. This follows concerns about half-empty stadiums at numerous Olympics events.
The 10-time equestrian gold medallist was chosen by his 263 fellow athletes, who are aiming to surpass their London 2012 total by winning 121 medals over 11 days of competition.
For the record, Malaysia started participating in the Paralympic Games in 1972 in Heidelberg, Germany with only three athletes but sent none for the next three editions. Russian Federation is absent from the Games due to a ban for state-sponsored doping. More than 4,300 athletes demonstrated first-hand their creed: “The heart knows no limits; everybody has a heart”.
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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Perhaps stemming from frustration with the political turmoil now gripping the country, boos and hisses rang down from the mostly hometown crowd at any mention of their nation’s government, with the loudest boos reserved for interim-President Michel Temer, who appeared next to officially open the Games. “It’s been an absolutely brilliant opening ceremony”.
