As war rages, Paralympics to open in Beijing without Russia

Ukrainian delegation escapes war zone to make it to games in four-day journey; athletes from Belarus also banned

BEIJING — The Winter Paralympics open Friday in Beijing with the Russian athletes sent home and the Ukrainian team escaping a war zone to get to China.

“It’s a miracle that we have made it to the Paralympics,” Ukrainian delegation head Valerii Sushkevych said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, shortly after the Winter Olympics wrapped up in Beijing, is roiling the world. And the world of sports is no exception.

Paralympic organizers initially announced that Russians and Belarusians would be allowed to compete in Beijing, but reversed course one day before the opening and expelled athletes from both countries. They cited tensions in the Athletes Village.

Sushkevych said it took four days for team members in Ukraine to reach Beijing. He said he slept on the floor of a bus because of a back condition during the last two days of the journey through Europe.

“We overcame a lot of barriers on the way,” he said. “Many members of our team had to escape while there was bombardment and shells exploding.”

A German paralympic athlete skis during a training session for the men’s downhill sitting event at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre in Yanqing ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, on March 3, 2022. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

About 564 athletes, of which 138 are women, are competing in the Paralympics. China has the largest team, with 96 competitors, followed by the United States with 65. The Paralympics includes six sports: Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, hockey, snowboarding and curling.

“Much work still needs to be done to achieve gender parity but having increased female participation significantly at the Winter Games in the last 20 years shows we are heading in the right direction,” International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons said.

The Paralympics were set to open at the Bird’s Nest. Parsons and Chinese President Xi Jinping were to attend the opening ceremony. The 10-day event closes on March 13.