Winter Paralympics

2022 - 3 - 4

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Aljazeera.com"

Beijing Winter Paralympics open after athlete ban controversy (Aljazeera.com)

IOC called on sporting federations to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukraine delegation said it had been overwhelmed with solidarity in Beijing, and the team’s top official declared earlier this week it was a “miracle” they made it to the competition. This was “jeopardising the viability” of the Games, organisers said as they announced the ban, citing safety concerns and a volatile mood in the athletes’ village. Earlier in the staging area, Ukrainian athletes unveiled banners that said “stop war” and repeatedly chanted “peace for Ukraine”. Some shed tears as they received hugs from competitors from other nations. The lead-up to the Games was marred by high tension in the athletes’ village, threats of competition boycotts and an eleventh-hour reversal by organisers of a previous decision to let Russian athletes and those from ally Belarus compete as neutrals. On Wednesday, Paralympic organisers said the “harshest punishment” they could administer was to force athletes from those countries to compete as neutrals. Athletes paraded through Beijing’s national stadium as the Winter Paralympics opened after a storm of controversy surrounding the banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Bracebridge's Collin Cameron wins bronze at Winter Paralympics ... (My Muskoka Now)

In his second event of the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, Collin Cameron finished third in the para 18-kilometere cross-country sit skiing.

He held onto that position for the rest of the race. While most of the skiers chose to wear long-sleeved outfits, Cameron was one of the few racers who wore short sleeves. The 33-year-old Bracebridge native was the 22nd athlete to start.

Ukraine-born Oksana Masters wins first US gold of Beijing Winter ... (The Guardian)

Oksana Masters won the first US gold medal of the 2022 Beijing Paralympics on Saturday by taking first in the women's biathlon sitting sprint.

“It is sad and my heart goes out for the Russian and Belarusian athletes,” Masters said. “I owe a lot to my mom and then it is for Team Ukraine and Ukrainian people,” Masters said. “This was my third time around, I played in Sochi and I played PyeongChang and to finally get it in Beijing was special.

Calls for peace and inclusion dominated the Winter Paralympics opening ceremony (unknown)

Fireworks are seen as the Olympic cauldron is lit during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at the Beijing National Stadium on March 04 ...

A platform emerged from the stadium floor, bringing Duan alone to the center of the snowflake. The opening ceremony included a video montage of people touching their torches together to light them, against a variety of backdrops and landscapes. The Paralympic torch looks like a silver and gold scroll and bears similarities to its Olympic counterpart, as organizers explain. The torchbearer was Li Duan, a visually impaired long jumper who won medals in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 before his retirement. A young girl picked up a lantern, placing it on the high-definition LED floor to create color and movement across the stadium. Thirteen interpreters (symbolizing the 13th Winter Paralympics) stood around them on rotating LED snowflakes, raising their arms and fingers to the beat of the music. He did not mention Russia by name, but called for the Olympic Truce for peace – a United Nations resolution adopted by consensus in December – to be respected and observed. "Here in Beijing, Paralympic athletes from 46 different nations will compete with each other, not against each other," he said at one point. Carter is a three-time Paralympian who made his debut at the Sochi Games in 2014. Team USA is made up of 67 athletes, including two guides for visually impaired athletes, with a mix of veterans and newcomers. The team includes two six-time Paralympians, Nordic skiers Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike, and one five-time Paralympian, Laurie Stephens in alpine skiing. And one is here in Beijing."

Oksana Masters wins first U.S. gold of Winter Paralympics (unknown)

Masters, a biathlete and cross-country skier, won the women's biathlon sitting sprint, her fifth career Paralympic gold medal and 11th overall medal between ...

It was a rematch of the 2018 Paralympic final, won on Farmer’s golden goal in overtime. Ukraine, a Paralympic power, won the most biathlon medals at the 2018 Paralympics. And I can’t wait to race for the two countries that make me whole.” She moved into a tie for third on the U. S. women’s career Winter Paralympic medal list with her eighth. “In PyeongChang I didn’t get to race healthy [fractured elbow], and here, my third time around — it just feels absolutely incredible.” Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Meet the 15 women representing Team USA (unknown)

The women of Team USA are a formidable crew. Here's a look at the 15 women who will represent the United States at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing.

She decided to stay in the United States for her rehabilitation process, unsure of what life would look like for her in Mongolia. “I had never seen anyone in a wheelchair in the streets of Mongolia, or knew anyone with a spinal cord injury,” she said in 2015. She will serve as the U.S. team’s alternate in Beijing. (For example, at the World Championships in January, just four women competed in the LL1 banked slalom event.) She grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, and got her start in adaptive snowboarding after a middle school trip to Alyeska Ski Resort. As a result, she didn’t automatically qualify for the Paralympic Games. But thanks to her strong performance in Lillehammer, she received an invitation to compete in Beijing from World Para Nordic Skiing and the International Paralympic Committee. “Without mentorship and establishing relationships with all the amazing athletes – I believe I still would be in (a) dark place,” writes Umstead on the foundation’s site. The organization is dedicated to creating a community of active women and girls with disability by providing mentor and education programs. She opened up the Beijing Winter Games with a bronze medal in the biathlon sprint event on day one. But while they may still be few in number, the women of Team USA are a formidable crew. In September, Masters won two cycling gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics. Of the 67 athletes set to represent Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, just 15 (23%) are women.

Access Denied (unknown)

Canada flew out of the gates at the Beijing Paralympics, with three medals on Day 1 alone. Mollie Jepsen, an LW6/8-2 athlete, won gold in the women's ...