After a barrage of bombs and gunfire, Ukrainian athletes have made it safely to Beijing ahead of the Winter Paralympics starting on Friday, which Ukrainian Paralympic Committee chairman Valery Sushkevich described as a "miracle".
Ukraine is under siege following an invasion by Russia, which prompted the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Thursday to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Games before they were allowed to compete as neutrals Was. Belarus has been a major staging area for the invasion.
"It would have been an easier option not to come here... Our presence at the Paralympics is not just a presence, it is a sign that Ukraine is and will be a country," Sushkevich said on Thursday.
The great challenge of reaching Beijing meant that a member of Ukraine's parliament, Sushkevich, had to sleep on the floor of the bus for two days, while other members of the delegation escaped with missiles to get out of the country.
"We came here over four days and four nights," he said.
“It is a miracle that we are here… a part of our team was already abroad. Part of our team was in Ukraine. All the necessary equipment was in Ukraine… we had to unify all those parts ," They said. said.
"It's been 25 years since I've been the chairman of the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine. And coming to the Paralympic Games was never so hard, so overwhelming."
Ukraine has been a strong presence at the Winter Games in the past, winning 22 medals, including seven golds, in Pyeongchang four years ago.
The country's 20-strong contingent, accompanied by nine guides, will take part in biathlon and cross-country skiing, with some athletes already hitting the slopes in Zhangjiakou before the two events.
Asked whether the team would be able to go home at the end of the Games given the situation in Ukraine, Suskhevich said he was not sure.
"I don't know... going back home is not easy. I hope the international community will take a real step during the Paralympics to stop this war."