(MENAFN- Kora)
Two weeks after Sochi's Winter Olympics finished, all eyes were on Russian president Vladimir Putin as he officially opened the Paralympics, although numerous other countries € including Great Britain € sending no delegates in response to Russia's current political stance in Ukraine
Ukraine's involvement in the Paralympics had been in serious doubt before their confirmation of participation earlier on Friday, and their team equates to 23 of the 547 attending athletes, with just one € Mykailo Tkachenko € appearing during the flag parade
Russia's Paralympics will be the biggest ever, with 45 countries taking part and 72 medals up for grabs across five sports and the opening ceremony seemed to catch the imagination of the 40,000 watching on
After traditional dancing and choir singing finished, the countries parade was followed by an eclectic, extravagant display consisting of huge ground-based shapes made up of dancers
As the show neared its end, a large ship was hauled into the arena bearing the word "peace" on its front, signifying the ceremony's "ice-breaker" tagline
The 10 days of events start on Saturday as all but the cross-country skiing get started, with medals to be won in the biathlon and alpine skiing
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