MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. The Executive Board of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) has approved the final roster of the national delegation bound for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in China next month, Pavel Rozhkov, the RPC acting president, told TASS on Thursday.
"The approval has been granted and the RPC delegation for the Games in Beijing will include 71 athletes from 20 federal entities of our country," Rozhkov noted. "We have 33 athletes in cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions."
"Ten athletes will represent the team in alpine skiing events and six athletes in snowboard events," he continued. "We also have 17 athletes lined up for sledge hockey competitions and five for wheelchair curling."
Rozhkov also told TASS that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided earlier to grant Team RPC three additional quotas in athletes’ representation ahead of the 2022 Winter Games.
"Following the International Paralympic Committee’s distribution of bilateral invitations the team of the Russian Paralympic Committee was granted three additional quotas for the participation in the Paralympic Games in Beijing," the RPC chief said. "Two of the distributed quotas went to the cross-country skiers and one was allocated for snowboard competitions."
The 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in the Chinese capital of Beijing are scheduled for March 4-13. During the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur on July 31, 2015, Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games making the Chinese capital the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2008) as well as the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games (in 2022).
Russian Paralympians at Beijing-2022
Due to international sanctions against Russian sports, athletes from Russia will be competing in the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing under the flag and logo of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem.
The national anthem of Russia is also under sanctions at the Paralympic Games in China. The First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky was selected to be played at awarding ceremonies for Russian Paralympians in Beijing.