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Poles eye medals at Beijing Paralympics

04.03.2022 11:30
Eleven disabled Polish athletes are set to compete in the Paralympic Winter Games, which begin in Beijing on Friday.
The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 4 to 13.
The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 4 to 13.Photo: EPA/ENNIO LEANZA

More than 700 competitors from around the world are expected to take part in the event, which will celebrate the sporting talent of athletes with various impairments.

Team Poland is set to compete in four sports, cross-country skiing, biathlon, Alpine skiing and snowboarding.

During a send-off ceremony for the athletes in Warsaw last month, President Andrzej Duda wished them success in Beijing.

"We will be keeping our fingers crossed for you," Duda said. "We strongly believe that you will succeed."

He added: "Quite apart from the sports emotions, you are a great example for others. You show people how to enjoy life and overcome difficulties."

Poland has won a total of 45 medals, 11 gold, six silver and 28 bronze, at the winter Paralympic Games since they were first held in Sweden in 1976, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

Poland's Katarzyna Rogowiec, a former Paralympic cross-country skiing champion, last year won the I'mPOSSIBLE award from the International Paralympic Committee for contributing to a more inclusive world.

The prestigious accolade was presented at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, with just one male and one female para-athlete from around the globe decorated for bringing about a more disability-inclusive reality, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

Polish Radio is a media partner of the Polish team for the Beijing Paralympics, which run until March 13.

(gs)

Source: IAR, polskieradio24.pl