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) appealed 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 Fleig, who are already hoping for medals at the start of the competitions on Saturday (5 March), the Paralympics squad of the German Disabled Sports Association (DBS) arrived 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 are role models for people with and without disabilities,” explained the German Chef de Mission, Karl Quade, in the ZDF.
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 is a bit strange and also difficult to concentrate on the essentials of a sporting event. It’s difficult to deal with“, said Fleig in the stadium catacombs.