Beijing Winter Paralympics open after athlete ban controversy

BEIJING: Athletes paraded through Beijing's National Stadium as the Winter Paralympics opened on Friday (Mar 4) after a storm of controversy that surrounded the banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

The lead-up to the Games had been marred by high tension in the athletes' village, threats of competition boycotts and organisers' eleventh-hour reversal of a previous decision to let Russian athletes and those from ally Belarus compete as neutrals.

But on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping officially declared the Games open and a fireworks display erupted over the capital's "Birds Nest" stadium.

The sparkling sound and light show spectacular capped off a week of high drama and wrangling among officials on the sidelines.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had urged sporting federations across the world to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus.

On Wednesday, Paralympic organisers said that the "harshest punishment" they could dish out was to force athletes from those countries to compete as neutrals.

But that decision was reversed less than 24 hours later after multiple teams and athletes threatened to not compete if Russia and Belarus were represented.

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.

International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons used his speech at the ceremony to promote peace and sporting excellence.

"The 21st century is a time for dialogue and diplomacy, not war and hate," he said, adding that the Olympic truce for peace must be respected and not violated.

"Here in Beijing, Paralympic athletes from 46 different nations will compete with