The Paralympic Games already has its first political protest, right at the beginning with the opening ceremony.
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The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, a major worldwide multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities and governed by the global Paralympic Committee, is taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Paralympic Games have opened in Rio de Janeiro.
The 10-time equestrian gold medallist was chosen by his 263 fellow athletes, while Ireland were led by sailor John Twomey, who is competing at his 11th Paralympics.
Controversy hung over the no-show by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach – the first absence of an IOC chief since the 1984 Summer Games. Brazil’s 10-time Paralympic champion Daniel Dias swimming in a virtual pool before a colourful samba on virtual sands. “It’s been an absolutely brilliant opening ceremony”.
While hundreds of Paralympic athletes, some war veterans, proudly marched at Maracanã, Brazilians were not able to watch them since the basic channels were not carrying the opening spectacle.
Russia, who have been completely banned from taking part in the Paralympics after reports emerged of state-sponsored doping, managed to sneak in their flag via the Belarusian contingent.
Natalya Eismont, a spokeswoman for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, said it was not a spontaneous gesture.
In London four years ago Australia finished fifth, only narrowly edging the US.
“I would like to stress that this is the stance of our government, of the president and the president of our Paralympic committee”.
“Whether there’s anything else – I don’t know if there’s anything else”, Craven said of Bach’s decision.
Ticker tape rained down from above as athletes entered the stadium.
Noting that 4,342 athletes from 159 countries plus members of the global refugee team were taking part, he said: “All I saw were happy athletes in the Village”.
Not all of the 177-strong Australian team were present for the ceremony, with many watching back in the athletes’ village. “This is a man who brought the Russian flag at the opening of the Paralympic Games in Rio showing solidarity with those who had been barred from the Rio Paralympics in a mean and inhuman way”, Zakharova told reporters.
As each nation entered the pieces were placed on the ground, to begin forming a very big image featuring the faces of all 4,300 Paralympians.
They have swimmer Xu Qing competing in his fourth and possibly last Games, seeking to add to his seven gold medals. She said the incident reflected “the position of the state, as well as the position of the country’s President and the head of our Paralympic Committee”.
However a late surge in ticket sales to 1.7 million suggest Brazilians are now getting behind the cash-strapped event, making Rio the second best-attended Paralympics behind London 2012.
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Despite being lauded as one of the world’s emerging “BRIC” markets, Brazil’s economy – the largest in Latin America – is expected to shrink by a further 2.95 per cent this year.
