(Beijing) The Paralympic Games in Beijing were officially declared closed on Sunday, at the end of an edition marked by the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes following the invasion of Ukraine.
Posted at 10:16 a.m.
Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), called the participating athletes “a beacon of hope” and “champions of peace”, but did not specifically mention the situation in Ukraine, during the closing ceremony at the ” Beijing’s Bird’s Nest.
During the opening ceremony, Mr Parsons gave an anti-war speech, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was partially censored during its broadcast by Chinese state television CCTV.
And during the closing ceremony, part of his speech was again not translated into Chinese for local audiences. The terms “champions of peace” and “hopes for peace” have thus been omitted.
At the end of this ceremony, attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Paralympic flag was lowered and passed on to the organizers of the next winter edition of the Games which will take place in 2026 in Milan and in the ski resort of Cortina from Ampezzo in the Dolomites.
PHOTO BOB MARTIN, OIS/IOCVIA/ AFP
The next Paralympic Games will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026.
“In the Paralympic villages, there were different nations, different opinions, different abilities. Here, the differences did not divide us. They united us,” Parsons said in his speech.
“This unity is a source of hope. Hopes for inclusion, hopes for harmony and most importantly, hopes for peace,” he added.
The days leading up to the start of these Games, which opened on Friday March 4, were marked by intense debates over the participation of Russia and its ally Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had called for them to be banned from sports competitions until further notice.
After allowing the athletes concerned to compete under a “neutral” banner, the IOC reversed its decision the following day, citing opposition from numerous national Paralympic committees, threats of boycotts and tensions in the athletes’ village.
All this turmoil did not disturb the sports performance of Ukrainians. Arrived in extremis in Beijing after a dantesque journey by bus through Europe, they went after themselves.
Ukraine won a total of 29 medals (including 11 gold), in biathlon and cross-country skiing, finishing second in the medal table behind hosts China, which has established itself as a new parasport powerhouse winter, with 61 medals in total (including 18 gold).
Canada completes the podium.