Winter Paralympics Beijing declared closed

The Beijing Winter Paralympics were officially declared closed on Sunday, after a controversy-hit Games which banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing over the invasion of Ukraine.

president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parsons, declared the event finished and praised its awesome organisation, vibrant venues and sensational sport at the closing ceremony in the Chinese capital’s “Bird’s Nest” stadium.

He also praised the athletes, who he called beacons of hope, and champions for peace. The ceremony, also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, featured a 55-metre Beijing 2022 logo in the form of a vinyl record player turntable, rotating underneath a shining snowflake.

The Paralympic flag was lowered and handed over to Italy’s Milano-Cortina, which will stage the 2026 Winter Games, before a drum performance took place to close the ceremony.

It was the host nation China who emerged as the new Winter Paralympics powerhouse — topping the medals table with 18 golds and 61 medals in all. After an arduous journey to get to the Chinese capital from their war-torn homeland, Ukraine’s athletes finished a remarkable second in the medals table behind China.

Seun Fakorede