The 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympics wrapped up on Sunday. GETTY IMAGES
The Paralympic flag was handed over to 2022 Games host Beijing on Sunday to "mark the closure" of the 10-day Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics, according to KYODO. More than 500 athletes from 49 delegations "took part in over 80 medal events in six sports, making this the largest Winter Paralympics to date." At the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, the Paralympic flag was lowered. Pyeongchang Mayor Sim Jae-guk passed the flag to Int'l Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, "who handed it to Beijing Mayor Chen Jining." In his closing speech, Parsons "gave tribute to the late physicist Stephen Hawking, while congratulating all of the Paralympians." He said, "At the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony, Hawking noted that we are all different and that there is no such thing as a standard or run of the mill human being" (KYODO, 3/18). In Seoul, Yoon Min-sik reported the Pyeongchang Paralympics proved to be the "most successful in terms of ticket sales," with 335,000 tickets sold, surpassing 316,200 in Sochi and "raking up" 6.6B won ($6.2M) in revenue (KOREA HERALD, 3/18).
