Russia Leads in Paralympic Games

By Helena Zhu
Epoch Times Staff

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—After two days of competition, the Russian Paralympic team has distinguished itself with 10 medals in total at Canada’s first Winter Paralympic Games.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, which had its opening ceremony on Friday night to a sold-out crowd of 60,000 at BC Place, has brought the spirit felt during the Olympics back to the city.

From UBC Thunderbird Arena to the Vancouver Paralympic Center to Whistler, fans showed up in red and white, with Olympic red mittens and Canadian flags.

While the Olympics puts a spotlight on athletes in their teens, 20s, and 30s, the Paralympics is for disabled athletes of all ages. Takashi Hidai, Japanese wheelchair curler, is the oldest among all curlers at 75.

Aside from the age of athletes, the Paralympic events are much more wallet-friendly than the Olympics for sports fans. While some Olympic hockey games could cost you over $10,000, the Paralympic event tickets average $20.

Over the 10-day games, 1,350 athletes and training officials from 44 countries are participating in 64 events in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling, and ice sledge hockey.

After Russia, Ukraine is in second place so far with six medals, while Austria is in third with three medals.

The host country, Canada, did not medal on Saturday. But on Sunday, Canadian athletes won three silver medals.

Colette Bourgonje was the first Canadian to win a winter Paralympic medal on home soil. The 48-year-old Saskatoon native finished second in women’s 10-km sitting cross-country skiing.

"I felt very strong today, the skis were quick. I am happy and proud to be representing Canada," said Bourgonje, who was badly injured in a 1980 car accident.

The United States now places seventh with one silver in women’s sitting slalom and one bronze medal in men’s sitting biathlon.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/31366/.