After several years of frozen war, the Russians attacked Ukraine again. Vladimir Putin’s army is destroying more cities and killing more and more civilians. But the world of sport is still trying to function. The Paralympic Games started on Friday. . There are Ukrainians for that. And so far they have dominated the 1st day of the Games.
There were 18 medals to be given in the biathlon. The Ukrainians won three gold, three silver and one bronze. – I had a hard time when the war started. I cried every day and wondered what I could do. I would like to dedicate this gold to Ukraine and I would like to wish peace for the Ukrainian people. Please let this war stop. It is very important to us. I would give everything to Ukraine. For my country, for my people, for my president. I love Ukraine! – said the winner of the gold, Hryhorij Wowczynski. He also won the gold medal in Sochi in 2014.
Who else won gold? Oksana Shyshkova won the sprint of visually impaired women, and Vitaliy Lukianenko secured Ukraine the third gold in the biathlon, being the best in the competition of men with visual impairment.
Gold – in the sitting sprint for women – was also won by Oksana Masters, who formally represents the United States.
– I owe a lot to my mother, so this medal is for her, but also for Ukraine and the United States. I am very proud to be Ukrainian, but also American. I represent both. This is the power of the sport, the athlete said, with several physical flaws due to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster. Her story is a ready topic for a movie. She was abandoned by her parents and had to live in an orphanage where she was abused until the age of 7. It was adopted by Gay Masters, an American professor of speech therapy who was unable to have children of her own.
Medal classification of the Paralympic Games
Ukrainians are the leaders and are ahead of the Chinese (two gold, three silver and three bronze medals) and Canadians (one gold, one silver and one bronze medal).
Medal classification Beijing 2022 Paralympics
Chinese television censors the games
During the opening ceremony, the subject of the Russian invasion was also discussed, although the regulations forbid political demonstrations.
– Thank you to China for your hospitality. And for their fantastic facilities and infrastructure adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. (…) I want to start this evening with the message of peace. We strive for a better and stronger world. A world free from hatred and ignorance. Free from conflicts and armed confrontations. Paralympic athletes know very well that the opponent is not the enemy, but the rival. Together we can achieve more -. And after a while he added that he was “terrified by the Russian invasion”.
Parsons spoke in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Not only that! Part of his speech was not translated on Chinese television for about a minute. At that time, the television translation of the speech into sign language was also discontinued.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
