Opening Ceremony of the Pyeongchang Paralympic Games

The Pyeongchang Paralympic Games were inaugurated on Friday after an opening ceremony featuring music, dance, and vibrant colors that illuminated the sky of the South Korean county from the beginning of the celebration until the grand finale, with the lighting of the cauldron and fireworks.

After an hour of pre-show spectacle, a firecracker officially started the ceremony. Neither the fog nor the intense cold overshadowed a gala marked by the magnificent audiovisual show seen in the stadium, with a full house and a completely devoted audience.

The South Koreans enjoyed a varied repertoire of traditional music and dance, performed by dozens of artists dressed in traditional clothing from the country's ancestral era.

That performance was just before the raising of the flag of South Korea, which took place with all attendees standing and listening to the anthem of the Asian country.

Twenty minutes after the start of the gala, the parade of participating countries began. The first to enter the stadium was Greece, with its flag-bearer Kostas Pretakis. Following them, forty-seven other countries paraded, including Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

Of the 48 countries that paraded, the largest delegation was from the United States, which sent 165 athletes to these Games, followed by Canada with 124 and the host country, South Korea, with 86.

North Korea, which marched separately from South Korea, received significant applause, and although they only have two athletes competing in these Games, they paraded with the seventeen members of their delegation, including coaches and assistants.

A song performed by a visually impaired Korean girl followed the parade, accompanied by other children and the mascot of the Games, Bandabi, who also danced in the center of the stadium.

During his speech, Brazilian Andrew Parsons, President of the Paralympic Committee, highlighted the importance of "dreams".

"In the next ten days, millions of people will feel the brilliance of these Games worldwide, and that dream can change people's lives. Behind these athletes are extraordinary stories of overcoming that demonstrate that dreams can become reality," stated Parsons.

The most special moment of the ceremony came when several South Korean athletes, three of them in wheelchairs, took the final torch relays, which, with its flame in the cauldron of the stadium, gave way to fireworks that illuminated the PyeongChang sky with colors again.