By Fan Zhou
Monday, 23rd Oct 2023,10 AM MYT
HANGZHOU: Palestinian athletes, arm-in-arm and determined and confident, walked onto the stage at the opening ceremony of the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou as part of the Palestinian delegation and as a symbol of the light of peace.
The Palestinian delegation enters the room with the world watching.
Yuan， from the Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, exclaimed: “All I know is that the people of Palestine are displaced and living in misery. Yet, even under these conditions, the Palestinian people have shown strength and resilience.”
The Asian Para Games mascot, Fei Fei, played a leading role in the Opening Ceremony, including welcoming the small delegation from Palestine.（Getty Images）
The athletes and coaches had been training at a training camp in Cairo, Egypt, before the outbreak of the conflict, revealed Majid Rushd, president of the Asian Paralympic Committee.
The Palestinian delegation received loud and sustained applause at their entrance.
Majid Rushd, President of the Asian Para Games, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 4th Paralympic Games in Hangzhou.
"I was shocked and moved when the Palestinian players came here, like the whole world," Yuan added.
The Palestinian delegation consisted of five athletes, four of whom could walk independently, and one used a wheelchair. The total number of delegation members at the entrance ceremony, including the flag bearer, was seven.
The Asian Para Games, as a large-scale integrated sports event under the Paralympics, is not only about providing a stage for people with disabilities to express themselves but also about sending a message of equality and peace to the world.
As Majid Rashid said, "No matter what country we come from, no matter how difficult it is, we should all join hands and work together for peace."
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