The Paralympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo have officially opened. A colorful but politically charged celebration marked the start of the games. There had been a lot of discussion about the ceremony beforehand.
The 14th Paralympic Winter Games officially opened in Verona on Friday evening. Italian President Sergio Mattarella declared the major event, which will take place mainly in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, open. The two Paralympic flames were lit by Italian para-athletes Francesca Porcellato in Cortina and Gianmaria Dal Maistro in Milan.
Games with record numbers
More than 600 athletes from around 50 nations will compete in six different sports until March 15th – alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding and curling. Never before have more athletes taken part in the Paralympics.
Team Germany is represented in all disciplines except curling. The team includes 40 participants (eleven women, 29 men) and eight guides. It is the second largest squad in German Paralympics history.
Discussions in advance
There had been some heated discussions in advance of the opening ceremony. On the one hand, many athletes criticized the fact that the march of athletes, which is usually the case at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, was omitted. In addition, a number of countries boycotted the opening ceremony in protest against the readmission of athletes from Russia and Belarus under their own national flag and in solidarity with Ukraine, which is suffering from the Russian war of aggression.
Parsons: “I prefer to know countries by the names of their athletes”
“Four years ago I said I was horrified by what was happening in the world. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons about the readmission of Russian and Belarusian athletes in his speech: “In a world where some countries are better known by the names of their heads of state, I prefer to know countries by the names of their athletes.”
Only 28 of the 55 participating nations came. Seven of them, including Ukraine and the Baltic states, stayed away from the event in protest against the lifting of the Russian and Belarusian suspension.
Iran has to cancel at short notice
The German delegation also stayed away from the opening ceremony in the Verona amphitheater, where many seats in the stands remained empty. The German athletes around the two flag bearers, mono skier Anna-Lena Forster and para ice hockey player Jörg Wedde, were only briefly seen in a video clip recorded before the ceremony.
A few hours before the ceremony it was also announced that the only nominated athlete from Iran would not come to Italy. Cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei could not travel safely due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, it was said.
Ukrainian flag in the stadium against the wishes of the delegation
The nations’ flags were carried into the arena by volunteers to the sounds of the Italian EDM band Meduza. It was Russia’s turn in 44th place. A little later, despite the express wish not to bring it into the stadium, the Ukrainian flag also followed. There was great applause from the audience. Due to space constraints, only two athletes and officials per nation were allowed to take part in Verona.
Germany is hoping for successful games
Team D is hoping for medals in many sports and disciplines. The main focus is on flag bearer Anna-Lena Forster. The monoskier competes in five disciplines – and is the favorite for the gold medal in each.
For Wedde and his ice hockey team, a place on the podium would be nothing less than a sensation. The German team is considered an outsider in the tournament for the first time in 20 years.
