The flame was yesterday extinguished on Beijing’s Winter Paralympics after nine days of stellar performances from the host nation and Ukraine athletes reeling from Russia’s invasion.
The Bird’s Nest Stadium hosted the closing ceremony, where China handed the baton to Italy’s Milano-Cortina, which is to stage the 2026 Winter Games.
At the opening ceremony, China Central Television (CCTV) censored International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons’ forceful anti-war speech, and the lead-up to the Games was overshadowed by controversy over whether athletes from Russia and ally Belarus should be able to compete.
Photo: AFP
After an arduous journey to get to the Chinese capital from their invaded homeland, Ukraine’s athletes finished a remarkable second on the medals table, behind hosts China after their best performance at a Winter Paralympics.
One athlete learned her soldier father had been taken prisoner by Russian troops, while another won a gold medal days after discovering her home in Kharkiv had been bombed.
Ukraine finished with a total of 29 medals, with 11 gold medals in biathlon and cross-country skiing.
Ukraine yesterday took their final gold in the open cross-country relay, ahead of France and Norway.
“Today our win is for the Ukrainian people,” relay team member Grygorii Vovchynskyi said.
Parsons had paid a glowing tribute to the Ukraine team on Saturday.
“To compete here at such a high level knowing their family and nation is under attack is just incredible,” he said.
“It’s one of the most incredible displays of resilience I’ve ever seen in my life, in or outside of sport,” he added.
Hosts China emerged as the new Winter Paralympics powerhouse — topping the medals table ahead of Ukraine with 18 golds and 61 medals in all.
China made their debut in 2002, but only recorded their first medal — a gold in wheelchair curling — at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
The speed and scale of success in Beijing has surprised some Chinese athletes.
“We weren’t really aware of our level before these Paralympic Games, because we haven’t been competing abroad much lately,” said Liu Sitong, 27, who won two bronze and one silver medal in women’s sitting alpine skiing races.
The US yesterday beat Canada 5-0 to take the para-ice hockey gold.
“It is pretty heavy on the heart right now,” Canada forward Tyler McGregor said. “You have to take pride in getting here and the process of the last four years.”
The US dominated in the mixed cross-country relay, sharing the podium with China and Canada.
In the Alpine skiing at Yanqing, golden runs continued for Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli, 23, in the slalom vision-impaired and for France’s Arthur Bauchet in the standing event, while in the men’s sitting category, Norway’s Jesper Pedersen, 22, claimed his fourth gold of the Paralympic Games to go with a silver.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that
RSS