WINTER PARALYMPICS

Asian Games Postponed FILE - Traditional dancers perform during the unveiling of the logo of the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sept. 9, 2015. Less than three months after Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, reports in China on Friday, May 6, 2022 said this year's Asian Games are being postponed because of concerns over the spreading omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country. The World University Games, another major multi-sport event, have also been postponed, organizers said Friday. Both events were expected to take place using the “closed-loop” system that was in place for the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. The OCA also announced that the Asian Youth Games, which were scheduled for Dec. 20-28 in Shantou, China, would be canceled.

The Asian Games in China are being postponed because of concerns about the spreading omicron variant of COVID-19.

Beijing Paralympics Alpine Skiing Drawing are seen on the helmet of Jasmin Bambur of the United States as he competing in the men's slalom, sitting at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) (Andy Wong)BEIJING — (AP) — The Winter Paralympics close on Sunday, ending an almost six-week run for international sports in the Chinese capital that began with the opening of the Winter Olympics on Feb. 4. It also ends a run for Asia of hosting four of the last eight Olympics and Paralympics, starting with the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The earliest return to Asia looks like the 2030 Winter Olympics with Sapporo, Japan, a top contender. The Winter Paralympics attracted just under 600 athletes, far fewer than the 2,900 who attended the Winter Olympics.

The president of the International Paralympic Committee has expressed “hopes for peace”as the Winter Paralympics closed in Beijing but avoided mentioning Russia's war on Ukraine.

If you got really into the Winter Olympics this year, and you’re missing the excitement, hopefully you can check out the final few days of the Paralympic Games.

"Our presence at the Paralympics is not merely a presence, this is a sign that Ukraine is and will remain a country,"​ the team's committee president said.

Around 700 athletes are competing in this year's events, which run through March 13. Here's what to expect and how to watch.

The Winter Paralympics have opened in Beijing with the Russian athletes sent home and the Ukrainian team escaping a war zone to get to China.

AP journalists in Ukraine document military activity

Russian athletes had already been slated to compete as RPC, short for Russian Paralympic Committee, as punishment for the state-sponsored doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and a subsequent cover-up. Athletes from Russia and Belarus will instead compete under the Paralympic flag and use the Paralympic anthem. Parsons acknowledged the possibility that some Paralympic athletes might refuse to compete against their counterparts from Russia. IOC President Thomas Bach will not attend the Paralympics and has designated Parsons — an IOC member — to represent the body. Officials say 71 Russian athletes are expected to compete in the Paralympics, joined by 20 from Ukraine.

The International Paralympic Committee says Russians and Belarusians at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing will compete as “neutral athletes” because of their countries’ roles in the war against Ukraine.

Amid Ukraine tensions, Putin opens Winter Paralympics The Winter Paralympics are under way in Sochi, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the Games with a ceremony that saw only one member of Ukraine's 31-member delegation attend.