According to the IPC, backlash from the teams and athletes preparing to compete in Beijing was “jeopardising the viability” of the Games and making the safety of athletes “untenable,” even after Russian and Belarusian participants were set to compete as neutrals.
It is against this backdrop that the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Paralympics gets underway on Friday with the first events scheduled for Saturday. The competition runs until March 13 and showcases 78 events across six Para sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.
As with last month’s Winter Olympics, events will be held in the three separate zones of central Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.
Russia and Belarus ban — how did it come about?
After Russian troops were first deployed in Ukraine last…
