With thousands of fans from around the world wildly cheering every team’s entrance into the grand stadium, the theme of the night was “Overcoming every barrier” in a spectacle of lights, music and dance.
Most of Team Canada’s 35 athletes and 35 support staff were led by four-time Paralympian and sledge hockey captain Todd Nicholson.
Italian singer Ligabue created a party atmosphere after the teams’ parade into the stadium. The sold-out stadium would also hear from Italian Republic President Carlo Azeglio, IPC President Sir Philip Craven and Turin Paralympic Committee President Tiziana Nasi, and delight in the talents of “Dance Ability”, a dance technique practiced by able bodied people as well as by people with a disability that allows dancers with different physical possibilities to dance together.
But perhaps the highlight was the lighting of the Paralympic flame. One by one, the flag bearers of the 39 teams competing in these Paralympics held the torch high before passing it on to their fellow athlete, before finally lighting the giant flame at the entrance of the stadium.
Awash in lights, fireworks and music, the athletes turn their focus to tomorrow, when the first medals will be awarded.
