Even after the end of this year’s Winter Olympics, there is still a lot of action to come in the world of sport. This is because on the morning of this Friday (4) the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games takes place.
Facing strong pressure from several delegations, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paralympic Games. The move takes place in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Committee chairman Andrew Parsons said that Paralympic committees from several countries had threatened not to compete and that if athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate, “nations would probably withdraw” and “we will probably not have viable Games”.
The decision came less than a day after the IPC announced it would allow athletes from both countries to compete as neutrals, under the Paralympic flag and anthem. Now, with the resolution, 83 athletes from both countries will be out of the Games.
“For Paralympic athletes from impacted countries, we are very sorry that they are affected by the decisions their governments made last week in violating the Olympic Truce. You are victims of the actions of your governments,” reads the IPC statement.
Opening ceremony
The Beijing National Stadium will host the event that will feature the delegation parade and will mark the official start of the competition, which runs until Sunday, March 13th.
In the parade, Brazil will be represented by the flag bearers Aline Rocha and Cristian Ribera, cross-country ski athletes, and also by Anders Pettersson, head of the Brazilian delegation in China, and by the doctor Cassiana Pisanelli.
The Beijing Winter Paralympics will feature six sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sled hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.
There will be a maximum of 700 athletes and 78 medal dispute events, 39 for men, 35 for women and 4 mixed disputes.
Brazil at the Winter Paralympics
This year’s edition of the Winter Paralympics will feature the largest Brazilian delegation in the history of the multisport event. With six athletes in two different sports, Brazil can even fight for a medal and a special position on the podium.
The first time the country competed in the Winter Paralympic Games was in Sochi, in 2014, with only two representatives: Andre Citnra, from snowboard, and Fernando Aranha, from cross-country skiing.
In the next edition, in 2018, at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, in South Korea, Brazil had three athletes competing: Aline Rocha and Cristian Ribera in cross-country skiing and Andre Cintra in snowboarding.
In all, the athletes summoned by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) this year were: Aline Rocha, Cristian Ribera, Guilherme Cruz Rocha, Robelson Moreira Lula and Wesley dos Santos, of the cross-country ski modality, and André Barbieri, who will compete in the snowboard competitions.
The highlight is the cross-country skier Cristian Ribera, who is the current vice-champion of the modality.
See the schedule of Brazilians at the 2022 Winter Paralympics
11pm: cross-country skiing – 18km for men for seated athletes – with Cristian Ribera, Guilherme Rocha, Robelson Lula and Wesley Santos
00:50: cross-country skiing – 15km women’s for seated athletes – with Aline Rocha
00:00: snowboard – male cross qualifying – with André Barbieri
- March 7 (Monday)
00:30: snowboard – men’s cross final – with André Barbieri
March 8 (Wednesday)
11pm: cross-country skiing – Freestyle Sprint for seated athletes, male and female – with Aline Rocha, Cristian Ribera, Guilherme Rocha, Robelson Lula and Wesley Santos
11pm: cross-country skiing – 4 x 2.5km mixed relay qualifying – with Aline Rocha, Cristian Ribera, Guilherme Rocha, Robelson Lula and Wesley Santos
01h: snowboard – men’s slalom – with André Barbieri
1:30 am: cross-country skiing – 7.5 km for women and 10 km for seated athletes – with Aline Rocha, Cristian Ribera, Guilherme Rocha, Robelson Lula and Wesley Santos
01h: cross-country skiing – final of the mixed 4 x 2.5km Relay – with Aline Rocha, Cristian Ribera, Guilherme Rocha, Robelson Lula and Wesley Santos
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
