MINSK, 28 February (BelTA) – Fifteen Belarusian athletes will compete in biathlon and cross country skiing at the 22nd Paralympics in PyeongChang, Chairman of the Belarusian Paralympics Committee Oleg Shepel said at a farewell ceremony for the Belarusian athletes at the Minsk Town Hall on 28 February, BelTA has learned.
Many-time Paralympics and world champion and medalist Liudmila Vauchok will carry the Belarusian flag at the official opening ceremony on 9 March. Paralympian Dmitry Loban has been named the captain of the team. Apart from the experienced athletes, Belarus will also field six Paralympic debutants.
First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maksim Ryzhenkov wished all the athletes every success at the competitions in Pyeongchang. He stressed that the Belarusian Paralympic athletes must show everyone how to achieve success in sports in the most prestigious international competitions. Maksim Ryzhenkov also noted that fans will be rooting for their Paralympians as much as for the athletes who performed at the recent Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
Oleg Shepel also wished good luck to the Paralympic athletes and said that everything necessary had been done to prepare for the winter sports competitions. First Deputy Sports and Tourism Minister Vyacheslav Durnov believes that the Paralympic team is ready to show their best in Pyeongchang.
The first group of the Belarusian delegation will fly to PyeongChang on 28 February, the second one on 2 March. Several more Belarusian representatives will head for South Korea on 6 March. The opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Paralympics will be held at the same stadium which hosted the events of the 23rd Winter Olympic Games.
The 2018 Paralympics are scheduled for 9-18 March 2018. The Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang will include 80 medal events. Competing at the PyeongChang Paralympics will be about 700 athletes from 48 teams. Russian Paralympians will compete in PyeongChang under a neutral flag.
Photo by Oksana Manchuk
