PyeongChang Winter Paralympics created lasting memories: top organizer
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, March, 18 (Yonhap) -- The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics will be fondly remembered for touching stories of human drama and connecting the world as one, the event's top organizer said Sunday.
During the closing ceremony at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, Lee Hee-beom said the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games left an indelible mark in the hearts of many.
"Touching stories of human victory showcased by para athletes through these Games will be remembered forever in our hearts," Lee said. "I hope that these Games will serve the purpose as a turning point to realize the (International Paralympic Committee's) core values of courage and determination never to give up under any difficult circumstances whatsoever on the one hand, and to make the world much more friendly and humane with no prejudice nor discrimination on the other."
Athletes carry their national flags into PyeongChang Olympic Stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics on March 18, 2018. (Yonhap)
The PyeongChang Paralympics concluded on Sunday, having sold a record 343,000 tickets during the 10-day run. Host South Korea won a gold for the first time in the Paralympics, as para Nordic skier Sin Eui-hyun finished first in the men's 7.5-kilometer sitting cross-country skiing on Saturday.
Lee thanked Paralympic volunteers, South Korean military and police personnel as well as firefighters who worked the Games, calling them "patriots and heroes."
Addressing the global Paralympic family, Lee said, "Transcending the differences of race and religion, nationality and gender, we laughed together, cried together and shared together a true friendship and fraternity."
Lee also took note of North Korea's participation -- its first appearance in the Winter Paralympics -- and its role of promoting peace in the region.
"The PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games connected the world as one, and South and North Korean athletes also raised together the Paralympic Torch (during the opening ceremony)," Lee said. "The Paralympic Flame, as it may extinguish, will bring together the world forever in a spirit of peace far beyond the Korean Peninsula."
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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