2014 Winter Paralympics
Host city | Sochi, Russia |
---|---|
Motto | Hot. Cool. Yours. (Russian: Жаркие. Зимние. Твои.) |
Nations | 45 |
Athletes | 550 |
Events | 72 in 5 sports |
Opening | 7 March |
Closing | 16 March |
Opened by | |
Cauldron | |
Stadium | Fisht Olympic Stadium |
Winter Summer
2014 Winter Olympics |
Part of a series on |
2014 Winter Paralympics |
---|
The 2014 Winter Paralympics (
The lead-up to these Paralympics were met with concerns regarding Russia's
With 80 medals, 30 of them being gold, the host country of Russia won the most medals during these Games, and set a record for the most medals won by a single country during a single Winter Paralympic Games. Additionally, Russian skier Roman Petushkov won the most individual gold medals in Winter Paralympic history, with six golds across skiing and biathlon events.[2] However, following the Games, the IPC discovered evidence that Russia's performance had been aided by a wider state-sponsored doping program. This resulted in restrictions on the participation of Russian athletes during subsequent Paralympics.
Bidding process
As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics was also to host the 2014 Winter Paralympics.[3] Following the second and final round of voting at the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City, Guatemala on 4 July 2007, the city of Sochi, Russia was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.[4]
City | Country | Round 1 | Round 2 |
---|---|---|---|
Sochi | Russia | 34 | 51 |
Pyeongchang | South Korea | 36 | 47 |
Salzburg | Austria | 25 | — |
Organization
Venues
As with previous Paralympics, the 2014 Winter Paralympics used most of the same venues that were used by the Olympics, situated within the Sochi Olympic Park and the resort of Krasnaya Polyana.[1] Despite the IPC believing that Russia had "zero track record in terms of accessibility"—given that the Soviet Union passed on hosting the 1980 Summer Paralympics after claiming no disabled athletes lived in Russia, the venues were built to the IPC's standards, organizers were quick to fix some of the issues pointed out by officials during an audit of the venues in January 2014, and an IPC spokesperson stated that they were "confident and expect everything to be ready for Games time." Organizers and the IPC hoped that the Paralympics' legacy would make Sochi a role model for inclusive design throughout the country, and IPC president Philip Craven went as far as dubbing Sochi the first accessible city in Russia, commending the country's changed stance on disability since 1980.[5][6]
Sochi Olympic Park (Coastal Cluster)
The Sochi Olympic Park was built by the
- Fisht Olympic Stadium – ceremonies (opening/closing) 40,000 spectators
- Shayba Arena – sledge hockey, 7,000 spectators
- Ice Cube Curling Center – wheelchair curling, 3,000 spectators
Krasnaya Polyana (Mountain Cluster)
- Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex – Biathlon, Cross-country skiing
- Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort – Alpine skiing
- Rosa Khutor Extreme Park – Snowboarding
Mascots
A shortlist of 10 Olympic and 3 Paralympic designs were shown to the public on 7 February 2011, while the winners were revealed on 26 February 2011.
The Games
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Games were held at Fisht Olympic Stadium on 7 March 2014. Entitled "Breaking the Ice", the ceremony was themed around equality and "breaking" barriers, featuring ballet sequences set to music by notable Russian composers, and animated segments by Aleksandr Petrov based on the story of the firebird. In his opening speech, IPC president Philip Craven praised Russia for finally fulfilling its "dream" of hosting the Paralympics after previously passing on the opportunity in 1980. He called upon spectators to have a "barrier-free mind", stating that "the sport you witness here will change you. Not just for now, but forever." The Paralympic cauldron was jointly lit by Russian Paralympians Olesya Vladykina and Sergey Shilov.[13]
Participating National Paralympic Committees
Athletes representing forty-five National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, an increase of one NPC over 2010.
Participating National Paralympic Committees |
---|
|
Brazil, Turkey and Uzbekistan made their Winter Paralympic debut in Sochi, while Hungary and South Africa, who participated in Vancouver, did not send any athletes.
Sports
Competitions in the 2014 Winter Paralympics were held in five Winter Paralympic sports, with 72 medal events in total. New for 2014 was the addition of snowboarding events, which were incorporated into the alpine skiing program.
- Alpine skiing (32) ( )
- Biathlon (18) ( )
- Cross-country skiing (20) ( )
- Ice sledge hockey (1) ()
- Wheelchair curling (1) ( )
Calendar
OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | # | Event finals | CC | Closing ceremony |
March | 7th Fri |
8th Sat |
9th Sun |
10th Mon |
11th Tue |
12th Wed |
13th Thu |
14th Fri |
15th Sat |
16th Sun |
Events |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ceremonies | OC | CC | |||||||||
Alpine skiing | 6 | 3 | 3 | ● | 3 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 32 | |
Biathlon | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | |||||||
Cross-country skiing | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 20 | |||||
Ice sledge hockey | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | |||
Wheelchair curling | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||
Total events | 12 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 72 | |
Cumulative total | 12 | 17 | 24 | 30 | 39 | 42 | 56 | 63 | 72 | ||
March | 7th Fri |
8th Sat |
9th Sun |
10th Mon |
11th Tue |
12th Wed |
13th Thu |
14th Fri |
15th Sat |
16th Sun |
Events |
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Paralympics was held on 16 March 2014 at Fisht Olympic Stadium. Entitled "Reaching the Impossible", the ceremony was themed around inclusivity, and featured sequences paying tribute to Russian abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky, and Alexey Pajitnov's classic video game Tetris. During his closing remarks, deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak stated that the Games had become a "catalyst for our efforts to create a barrier-free environment in Russia", and promised that "this important work will continue throughout our vast country." Sir Phillip Craven congratulated Russia for hosting what he deemed to be the best Winter Paralympic Games, and stated that the Games' participants had "shown the world that absolutely anything is possible and that life is about amazing capabilities and not perceived deficiencies."[14][15][16]
Medals
Sochi's Paralympic medal design was unveiled in May 2013 alongside its Olympic equivalent. The design incorporates a "patchwork quilt" of diamonds, some of which are translucent, containing designs that reflect Russia's regions, and also contain inscriptions in braille.[17][18]
Medal table
* Host nation (Russia)
Rank | NPC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Russia (RUS)* | 30 | 28 | 22 | 80 |
2 | Germany (GER) | 9 | 5 | 1 | 15 |
3 | Canada (CAN) | 7 | 2 | 7 | 16 |
4 | Ukraine (UKR) | 5 | 9 | 11 | 25 |
5 | France (FRA) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
6 | Slovakia (SVK) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
7 | Japan (JPN) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
8 | United States (USA) | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
9 | Austria (AUT) | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
10 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
11–19 | Remaining NPCs | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 |
Totals (19 entries) | 72 | 72 | 72 | 216 |
Broadcasting
In February 2013, following its successful broadcast of the 2012 Summer Paralympics, British broadcaster Channel 4 announced in February 2014 that it had obtained the broadcast rights to further Games, including the 2014 Winter Paralympics, and 2016 Summer Paralympics. Channel 4 planned to broadcast more than 45 hours of coverage from Sochi.[19][20] Australian coverage was provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, including live online streaming. However, aside from the opening ceremony (which was broadcast live), television coverage was limited to a daily half-hour highlights show.[21]
In the United States,
Concerns and controversies
Although concerns over
Crimean crisis
On 27–28 February 2014 in the aftermath of the
The effects of these developments led to several notable political actions surrounding the Paralympics. On 2 March 2014, British Prime Minister
IPC communications head Craig Spence reported prior to the Games that there were not any boycott efforts among athletes, and stated that although the organization would keep an eye on the situation in the Crimea, "we've obviously expressed our disappointment with what's going on in the political situation, but at the end of the day, we're not here to do politics. We're here to organize a sporting event." He went on to emphasize that the same level of security measures in place during the Olympics would be in place during the Paralympics, and ensured that Sochi would be the "safest place" in the country during the Games.[25][33]
The Ukraine team still participated in the Games, but
Russian doping scandal
On 18 July 2016, the
On 7 August 2016, the International Paralympic Committee announced that it had suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee. The country was banned from the 2016 Summer Paralympics. At the 2018 Winter Paralympics, the RPC remained suspended, but the IPC did allow clean Russian athletes to compete neutrally under the Paralympic flag (mirroring a similar decision by the IOC for the 2018 Winter Olympics).[40][39][41]
LGBT rights
Concerns surrounding
See also
References
- ^ a b "Para-Snowboard secures Paralympic Games inclusion". BBC Sport. 2 May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "Sochi Paralympics: Roman Petushkov sets golds record". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Paralympics 2012: London to host 'first truly global Games'". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Sochi Elected as Host City of XXII Olympic Winter Games". Olympic.org. 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Paralympics: IPC confident on venue accessibility". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Ukrainians stage symbolic protest at opening of Sochi Winter Paralympics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "Sochi's mixed feelings over Olympics". BBC News. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- ^ Russian Deputy PM leads Sochi delegation to inspect Munich Olympic Park Archived 16 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine Inside the Games, 22 May 2010
- ^ Madler, Mark (24 February 2014). "WET Design Runs Rings Around Rivals". San Fernando Business Journal. Los Angeles, California: California Business Journals. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ "California-based WET makes the waters dance at Sochi". Gizmag. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ "Russia unveils candidates for Sochi mascot". ESPN.com. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 gets a new Paralympic look". Paralympic.org. IPC. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ Brandon Hicks (7 March 2014). "2014 Paralympics open in Sochi". CBC. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "Record-breaking Sochi 2014 Paralympics close in celebration of possibility". IPC. Archived from the original on 29 July 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ "Best Winter Paralympics Ever' Close in Sochi". RIA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ "Sochi Paralympics end with flare, fireworks". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ "The Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee unveils Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games medals". Sochi 2014. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 unveils Paralympic Winter Games medals". Paralympic.org. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "Channel 4 pays £7m to screen 2014 and 2016 Paralympic Games". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ^ "Channel 4 secures 2014 and 2016 Paralympic Games rights". International Paralympic Committee. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ "Television Schedule Set For Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games". USOC. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "Paralympic Movement given huge boost as American channels NBC and NBCSN will cover next two Games". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "CBC Unveils Multiplatform Coverage of Sochi 2014 Paralympic Games". Broadcaster Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Sochi Paralympics 2014: No plans for boycott – IPC". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Russian troops seize Crimea". Politico. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Russian Parliament approves use of army in Ukraine". The Hindu. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Ukraine crisis: Russia vows troops will stay". BBC. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Crimea's referendum to leave Ukraine: how did we get here?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ a b "British Officials to Boycott Sochi Paralympics". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Ukraine crisis: David Cameron says ministers will boycott Sochi 2014 Paralympics in response to Russia's declaration of war". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "USA won't send presidential delegation to Sochi Paralympics". USA Today. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Paralympics organizers fear Crimea unrest will overshadow Games". CBC News. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "How Ukraine's athletes in Sochi are protesting against Russia's actions". Quartz. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "McLaren Independent Investigations Report into Sochi Allegations". World Anti-Doping Agency. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R. (18 July 2016). "Russia May Face Olympics Ban as Doping Scheme Is Confirmed". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Schwirtz, Michael (12 May 2016). "Russian Insider Says State-Run Doping Fueled Olympic Gold". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 December 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
- ^ "Russia given blanket Paralympic ban amid 'medals over morals' criticism". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Rio Paralympics 2016: Russian athletes banned after doping scandal". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "IPC allow Russian athletes to compete as neutrals at Pyeongchang 2018 but maintain suspension". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
- ^ "The IPC suspends the Russian Paralympic Committee with immediate effect". International Paralympic Committee. 7 August 2016. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ^ "Gay Norwegian minister to take husband to Sochi Paralympics". Reuters. 2 February 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ "Post-Olympic concerns over Russia LGBT rights record remain". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
External links
- Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Official website Archived 22 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- International Paralympic Committee