Washington: None of the 20 athletes from the Ukrainian Paralympic team has reached Beijing with the Games opening at the end of the week, the International Paralympic Committee said Monday. IPC spokesman Craig Spence, in an interview with The Associated Press, said he was hopeful the athletes would arrive in China for Friday's opening ceremony despite difficult logistics. He declined to disclose the team's whereabouts, citing safety concerns and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We're in regular dialogue with Ukraine about their participation at the Games, and we're working hard behind the scenes to get them here, Spence said. He said there were no flights out of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. In addition, flights entering China for the Paralympics as well as for the just-closed Olympics can originate only from a few designated hub airports. This is part of China's severe closed-loop system for the Olympics and Paralympics, which limits athletes, staff, and journalists to designated hotels, venues, and a media center with no contact with Beijing and its 20 million residents. "For several reasons, we are not confirming their location or providing specific updates," Spence said. The health and welfare of the delegation is our No. 1 priority. The less said about where they are, the better." Spence said a few non-athletes from the Ukrainian delegation were on hand. He said some of Russia's 71 athletes had arrived, but he did not exactly know how many. About 650 athletes from 49 delegations, including Ukraine, are expected for the Paralympics, which open Friday and close on March 13.