Status: 04.03.2022 2:08 p.m
The 13th Winter Paralympics have officially opened in Beijing. 17 German athletes and five guides for the visually impaired will start. Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) delivered an emotional opening speech dedicated to peace and inclusion.
China’s head of state and government Xi Jinping officially opened the 13th Winter Paralympics on Friday (March 4th, 2022) at 9:02 p.m. local time. Barely half an hour later, Olympic para-athletics champion Li Duan lit the Paralympic flame. The ceremony took place in the “Bird’s Nest”, the Olympic Stadium in the Chinese capital Beijing.
IPC President Parsons calls for peace
Jinping spoke the traditional Olympic salutation immediately after an emotional speech by Andrew Parsons. The Brazilian President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) called on behalf of the Paralympic movement “to those responsible around the world to stand up for peace, understanding and inclusion.”
Although Parsons did not directly mention the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the 45-year-old ended his performance with an impressive cry: “PEACE!” – Peace!
Forster and Feig lead Team Germany
Led by the Flag bearers Anna-Lena Forster and Martin Fleigwhich already kicked off hope for medals in the competitions on Saturday (5 March)., the Paralympics contingent of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) entered as the 43rd nation. A total of 17 athletes and five guides for the visually impaired members of Team D are at the start. “We want to show that people with disabilities are very capable and that they are role models for people with and without disabilities,” said the German chef de mission, Karl Quade, on ZDF.
Opening Ceremony Paralympics
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Out of solidarity with the people and victims of the war in Ukraine, the “Team D” members symbolically took off their winter hats for a few moments as they entered. “For me it’s a bit strange and also difficult to concentrate on the essentials of a sporting event. It’s difficult to deal with it,” said Fleig in the stadium catacombs.
Ukraine with 20 players
The 20 participants from war-torn Ukraine presented themselves as the fourth team to the 30,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium. The two teams that were only excluded at short notice on Thursday were not there Russia and Belarus.
Immediately before the start of the opening ceremony, the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) had announced that they wanted to leave early, because it sees little chance of success when it announced going before the International Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS)..
546 athletes, 46 nations, 78 competitions
According to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), 546 athletes from 46 nations will compete in 78 competitions in six sports until Sunday, March 13th.