Ukrainian Winter Paralympians "have staged a symbolic protest at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Games, with all but one athlete boycotting the athletes' parade in protest at Russia's incursion into Crimea," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. The Games "opened with a spectacular ceremony and a full complement of 45 competing nations after Ukraine decided its athletes would remain in Sochi despite the ongoing standoff with Russia." But the Ukrainians "made their point by sending just one athlete around the Fisht Stadium to represent their 31-strong team." The solitary flagbearer, the Nordic skier Mykailo Tkachenko, "was greeted with large cheers." The Int'l Paralympic Committee "has been desperately trying to separate the sporting event, which it hopes will capitalise on the leap in profile made by Paralympic sport in London, from the politics of the ongoing situation in Crimea." IPC President Philip Craven said that Sochi "had become Russia's first accessible city and claimed the Paralympics would leave a lasting legacy in terms of improving facilities and changing attitudes towards the disabled" (GUARDIAN, 3/7). REUTERS' Alexei Anishchuk wrote Ukraine National Paralympic Committee President Valeriy Sushkevich said on Friday that "his team would quit the Winter Paralympic Games if Russia invaded his home country," adding that he hoped the competition would be able to spread peace instead. Sushkevich: "If there is an escalation of the conflict, intervention on the territory of our country, God forbid the worst, we would not be able to stay here, we would go" (REUTERS, 3/7).
