
Winter Paralympics set to get underway in Beijing following exclusion of Russia and Belarus
CNN
A record number of Para athletes -- around 700 -- were expected to compete in this year's Winter Paralympics in Beijing, but much of the focus the day before the Opening Ceremony fell on the 83 who won't.
That's after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced the U-turn decision to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at the Games in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
According to the IPC, backlash from the teams and athletes preparing to compete in Beijing was "jeopardising the viability" of the Games and making the safety of athletes "untenable," even after Russian and Belarusian participants were set to compete as neutrals.

Cinderella is a funny girl when her glass slippers are Nike issued. We are amused by her as a lead-up to the ball, love her if earns a party-crashing admittance and then goes on to trash the place in the first weekend. But not everyone is so eager to hand her one of the coveted 37 extra tickets held in reserve.












