Brazilians jeered their new President Michel Temer on Wednesday as he attended an Independence Day rally in Brasilia and the opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Advertisement
The Paralympic Games have opened in Rio de Janeiro.
Recall that during the parade of nations at the Maracana stadium at Wednesday night’s opening ceremony, Belarusian team’s javelin thrower Alexander Tryputs carried the flag of Russian Federation along with their national flag.
Equestrian Lee Pearson, who led ParalympicsGB into the arena, described the ceremony as “amazing”, adding: “Now let’s crack on with the Games and show the world what we can do”. Among them was former Brazilian Paralympic medalist Marcia Malsar, who fell over backwards as she carried the torch across the floor with aid of a cane.
However, controversy hung over the opening ceremony after confirmation that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was not attending. The samba beats were followed by a giant projection of Brazil’s Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias, and a carnivalesque reproduction of a Rio beach scene.
Organizers say 1.6 million tickets have been sold, but that’s short of the 2.5 million available.
It’s yet to be seen how ticket sales transfer into stadium attendances but the outlook is much more positive than it was a fortnight ago.
The 36-year-old was the first female American soldier to lose limb in active combat during the Iraq War and is now competing in her third Games after making her debut at Beijing 2008.
The competition will last until September 10. Police had planned to “summon” Bach if he came for the opening ceremony, though there is no evidence he knew about the ticket scam.
For the Rio 2016 Paralympics parade of nations, each nation entered carrying a piece of a jigsaw puzzle bearing the country’s name on one side and the faces of various athletes on the other. Nuzman and Craven when they thanked the Brazil government. Not only because of the jeers as he opened the games, but also fresh protests around the country.
Thousands of protesters descended on nearly a dozen Brazilian cities to call for change, with chants such as “Temer Out” and “Usurper” among the calls.
Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand.
Advertisement
Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.
