N Korea in focus as biggest ever Winter Paralympics opens

NorthKorea’s athletes took centre stage as the biggest Winter Paralympics inhistory opened in South Korea yesterday with a glittering ceremonyafter a rapid round of diplomacy hit dizzying heights.Afterspectacular light shows and fireworks, cross-country skiers Kim JongHyon and Ma Yu Chol entered as North Korea’s first Winter Paralympians.The ceremony took place as the world digests the news US PresidentDonald Trump has agreed to meet Kim Jong-un.The wheelchair-boundskiers appeared at the same temporary stadium in Pyeongchang, about 30miles (50 kilometres) from the heavily fortified inter-Korean border,where Kim Jong-un’s sister attended the opening of last month’s WinterOlympics.It proved to be the trigger for a series of conciliatorysteps between the two Koreas, who remain technically at war, culminatingin Thursday’s announcement at the White House.North Korea’s firstWinter Paralympians did not appear alongside South Korea’s team, ashappened at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, after a row over theblue-and-white Korean unification flag.North Korea pulled out of thejoint march after South Korea decided to remove islands claimed byJapan from the flag, which depicts the Korean peninsula.The teamsfrom the North and South entered separately under their own flags duringthe athlete’s parade in the opening ceremony Friday, which sawcompetitors from 49 countries march into the Pyeongchang OlympicStadium. But the disagreement is considered a minor sticking pointafter what has been a swift thaw between the neighbours, starting withNorth Korea’s decision in January to participate in the Olympics. It isquite a turnaround from last year, when Pyongyang tested missiles thatcould reach the US mainland and detonated what it said was an H-bomb,sparking fury from Trump who threatened to “completely destroy” theNorth.At Friday’s ceremony, South Korean President Moon Jae-inofficially declared the Paralympics open in sub-zero temperatures beforefireworks lit up the night sky.There were also light shows, as well as traditional South Korean performances and modern dance.Severalof those performing had disabilities — a drummer with a prosthetic armand legs beat a giant traditional drum, and a choir of wheelchair-boundperformers sang the South Korean anthem.In an opening address,International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons urgedthe Paralympians to “keep fighting, play fair, have fun and keep pushingyour limits.“Your extraordinary stories are what dreams are made of and will be told for years to come.”The ceremony culminated in the Paralympic flame being brought into the stadium, and a “moon-shaped”, white cauldron being lit.Thereare 567 athletes at the Games competing in 80 medal events across sixsports: alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey,snowboard and wheelchair curling.Some of the adapted sports havebecome hits with spectators, such as fast and furious para ice hockeywhere competitors slide around on double-bladed sledges.Among the athletes are 30 neutral competitors from Russia, which remains suspended by the IPC over a mass doping scandal.As well as North Korea, Georgia and Tajikistan are taking part for the first time in the nine-day Games.Paralympiansare an eclectic bunch, ranging from a 61-year-old Japanese ice hockeygoaltender to a Mexican who found unlikely success as a mono-skier.Americansnowboarder Brenna Huckaby, who lost her right leg below the knee, madeheadlines when she featured in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.Thefirst events will take place Saturday, with athletes competing indownhill skiing and biathlon. The Games run until March 18.