A closing ceremony boycotted by Ukraine signaled the end of the Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics.

Iran will not participate in the Milan Cortina Paralympics because its only athlete set to compete can’t safely travel to Italy amid the intensifying Middle East conflict.

The Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics has officially opened amid the tensions of intensifying war in the Middle East and with some countries boycotting the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage.

The International Paralympic Committee has lifted the partial suspensions of Russia and Belarus.

The Paralympic flag was raised into the night sky as Paris celebrated the start of its second Olympics on Wednesday.

With an assist from Paul McCartney the Paralympic Games is starting its 100-day race to the opening ceremony in Paris on Aug. 28.

Paris has one year to go before hosting the Paralympic Games and is faced with a significant challenge: the accessibility of its public transit.

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.

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.

The Paralympic U-turn on Russian participation in the upcoming Beijing Games isn’t likely to be the end of the story.

Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from competing at the Paralympics because of their countries’ roles in the war in 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.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says he won’t run in a governing party leadership vote this month, paving the way for a new Japanese leader.

All fans will be barred from the Paralympics because of the coronavirus pandemic just as they were from the recently-completed Tokyo Olympics.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, on a screen, delivers an opening speech while Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee President Seiko Hashimoto listens at a five-party meeting of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games with International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa in Tokyo Saturday, March 20, 2021. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/Pool Photo via AP)TOKYO – At last it’s official after countless unsourced news reports and rumors: spectators from abroad will be barred from the postponed Tokyo Olympics when they open in four months. The decision was announced Saturday after an online meeting of the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo government, the International Paralympic Committee, and local organizers. Several surveys have shown that up to 80% oppose holding the Olympics, and a similar percentage opposed fans from overseas attending.

(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)LAS VEGAS — The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is changing course and now plans in-person spring graduation ceremonies in May as the coronavirus outbreak slows. UNLV President Keith Whitfield on Friday announced the change from plans announced in February to hold graduation virtually. ___LONDON — The U.K. says half of the country’s adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. AdThe government on Saturday reported cases topping the previous record in June. AdJust one third of Italy’s 7.3 million vaccine doses administered so far have gone to people in that age group.

This photo shows the opening remark session of a five-party meeting held by the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) at the Tokyo 2020 headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (Du Xiaoyi/Pool Photo via AP)TOKYO – The postponed Tokyo Olympics look like they will take place without any fans from abroad when they open in just under five months. The report came just an hour before Tokyo organizers held “five-party” talks online with the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the central government of Japan. The organizing committee has budgeted income of $800 million from ticket sales. Seiko Hashimoto, the new president of the organizing committee, cautioned on Tuesday of the problems that await.