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03/06 04:31 CST Winter Paralympics: Milan Cortina Games to open amid war in Middle East, boycott over Russian flag Winter Paralympics: Milan Cortina Games to open amid war in Middle East, boycott over Russian flag VERONA, Italy (AP) --- The Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics will officially open later Friday amid the tensions of war in the Middle East and with some countries intending to boycott the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage. Ukraine is leading the list of countries not attending the opening ceremony in Verona to protest the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to allow Russian athletes to compete under their own flag and with their national anthem. The Russian flag hasn't been flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, while the national anthem has not been heard at any Olympics or Paralympics since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games. The opening ceremony will take place at the Arena di Verona, marking the first time a Paralympic ceremony is held at a UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient Arena has been retrofitted with new wheelchair ramps and accessible restrooms along with other safety upgrades. The Milan Cortina Games mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics. More than 600 athletes will compete across 79 events in six sports. It is the biggest Winter Paralympics ever, with a record female participation, according to the IPC. Para cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi is expected to be the only athlete from Iran participating in the Games that begin less than a week after the United States and Israel launched their military attack. Khatibi was announced as Iran's flagbearer but he will not actually carry the flag --- volunteers will be handed the task for all nations because not all flagbearers will be able to attend the ceremony for logistics and training issues. Many athletes will miss the opening ceremony as they are located in different competing clusters across Italy. The curling events began on Wednesday. China arrives looking to establish itself as the main Paralympic powerhouse. The Chinese have topped the medal count in the Summer Paralympics every time since 2004, and four years ago topped the Winter Games for the first time with a record-setting performance. ___ AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games

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