| Venue: Beijing, China Dates: 4-13 March Time in Beijing: GMT +8 |
The build-up to the Beijing Winter Paralympics has been turbulent, with first the coronavirus pandemic and in current days Russia’s invasion of Ukraine casting enormous shadows.
But with the Games due to formally open in the Chinese capital on Friday, the athletes now have their probability to take to the ice and snow.
The Games – the thirteenth version of a Winter sequence that started in Ornskoldsvik in Sweden in 1976 – will function athletes competing for 78 gold medals.
Friday’s opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest Stadium might be attended by dignitaries together with Chinese president Xi Jinping, the first medals might be awarded on Saturday – day one among competitors – and the closing ceremony will happen on Sunday, 13 March.
What has occurred to date?
There has been a lot concentrate on the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The IPC committee was criticised when it initially mentioned on Wednesday it could permit the athletes to compete as neutrals.
But lower than 24 hours later, the decision was reversed, with the IPC saying the “scenario in the athlete villages” was “untenable”.
There have been additionally fears the Ukraine delegation can be unable to journey.
However, the workforce of 20 athletes and 9 guides arrived in Beijing on Wednesday. Valeriy Sushkevych, the Ukrainian Paralympic chief, mentioned the workforce’s presence at the Games was a “image that Ukraine is alive”.
Previously there had been a lot criticism over the award of each Winter Games to China due to their alleged human rights abuses, significantly round the remedy of Uighur Muslims – a minority group which lives largely in north-west China.
It led to many nations, together with the UK, United States and Canada, declaring a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics.
But IPC president Andrew Parsons has insisted China internet hosting the 2008 Paralympics has led to a optimistic change in the method folks with disabilities are perceived in the nation.
China has topped the medal desk at every summer time Games since 2004, successful 207 medals in Tokyo – 83 greater than second-placed Great Britain.
Who might be competing?
The Games will function greater than 600 athletes from 46 delegations competing in 78 medal occasions throughout six sports activities – alpine snowboarding, cross-country snowboarding, biathlon, Para-ice hockey, snowboard and wheelchair curling.
While the variety of athletes is a rise on 4 years in the past, there are fewer medal occasions – with ladies’s snowboard dropping two occasions due to an absence of numbers.
Azerbaijan, Israel and Puerto Rico are set to make their Winter Paralympic debuts, Liechtenstein returns for the first time since 1994, and Estonia and Latvia are again for the first time since 2002 and 2006 respectively.
Four years in the past in Pyeongchang, the United States topped the medal desk with 36 – together with 13 golds. Russian athletes, competing below the Neutral Paralympic Athlete banner, have been second, with Canada third.
China gained only one gold – in the wheelchair curling – however have the greatest delegation this time with 96 athletes, plus sighted guides.
Many Chinese athletes have been coaching on house soil and haven’t competed internationally in the build-up to the Games, so they’re an unknown amount.
Where is the motion occurring?
Beijing is the first metropolis to host each the Summer and Winter Games, 14 years after it hosted the 2008 summer time Paralympics.
The Games happen throughout three clusters.
Beijing itself will host the indoor occasions – curling and ice hockey – in addition to the opening and shutting ceremonies.
Yanqing, positioned 75km (47 miles) out of Beijing, is the house of the alpine snowboarding occasions, whereas the mountains of Zhangjiakou, 180km (111 miles) away from the capital, host the snowboarding in addition to biathlon and cross-country.
Many of the venues in Beijing have been repurposed from the 2008 Games, together with swimming’s Water Cube, which has been renovated to change into the house of curling, and the Bird’s Nest stadium, which is able to host the opening and shutting ceremonies.
How will the British workforce fare?
The 24-strong GB workforce is the largest at a Winter Games since Lillehammer in 1994, with athletes competing all sports activities besides Para-ice hockey.
Four years in the past, British athletes loved their most profitable Winter Games, successful seven medals – all from the visually impaired athletes on the ski slopes.
As they did for the Olympics, UK Sport has set a spread slightly than a selected quantity for British medals at the Beijing Paralympics – with 5-9 the goal.
Defending champion Menna Fitzpatrick, who grew to become Britain’s most profitable Winter Paralympian together with information Jen Kehoe in South Korea, is again however has a brand new information in Gary Smith – a late alternative for Katie Guest.
Millie Knight and Brett Wild, who gained two silvers and a bronze at the final Games, may also be chasing success once more – and each Fitzpatrick and Knight have been gold medallists at January’s Para Snow Sports World Championships.
Elsewhere, snowboarder James Barnes-Miller – one other world medallist having taken silver in the snowboard cross occasion for athletes with higher limb impairments – might be aiming to win GB’s first Paralympic medal in the sport.
And Hope Gordon will create historical past as Britain’s first feminine Nordic skier when she competes in the cross-country occasions
“This workforce guarantees to be our best throughout a wider vary of sports activities and occasions than ever earlier than,” mentioned GB chef de mission Phil Smith.
“After what has occurred in the build-up, we’re prepared exit and compete and concentrate on the athletes and sports activities and are wanting ahead to utilizing Beijing to construct on the success of the previous two Paralympic Winter Games.”
Who are the international stars to watch?
Given the backdrop in opposition to which they are going to happen, the Games are positive to emotional for Oksana Masters, who was born in Ukraine however has lived in the United States since she was seven.
Masters will compete in the biathlon and cross-country occasions having gained two golds, two silvers and a bronze in Pyeongchang earlier than switching to hand-cycling and successful two gold ultimately yr’s rescheduled Tokyo Games.
Canadian visually impaired cross-country skier Brian McKeever has the probability to create historical past at what he says might be his ultimate Paralympics.
McKeever is already the most embellished male cross-country Paralympian in historical past with 17 Games medals, together with 13 golds, and three extra wins would see him transfer degree with former German alpine skier Gerd Schoenfelder on 16 golds general.
In the snowboarding, Lisa Bunschoten might be hoping to stick with it the custom of her late Dutch team-mate Bibian Mentel-Spee when she strains up in the snowboard cross and banked slalom occasions.
