Delegations representing 161 National Paralympic Committees marched into the stadium, led by the Independent athletes.
Each team was accompanied by a woman carrying a puzzle piece-shaped sign with the country's name written on in Brazilian Portuguese; the other side of each piece contained photos of the athletes participating in the Games.
In protest of the banning of Russia from the Games over a doping scandal, Belarusian Ministry of Sport official Andrey Fomochkin was seen carrying the flag of Russia while entering the stadium; the flag was confiscated, and Fomochkin's credentials were revoked by the IPC for violating the policy forbidding political protests and gestures.
As countries entered, the puzzle pieces were assembled on the stadium floor to create a mosaic of the human heart using the photos.
Delegations representing 161 National Paralympic Committees marched into the stadium, led by the Independent athletes. Each team was accompanied by a woman carrying a puzzle piece-shaped sign with the country's name written on in Brazilian Portuguese; the other side of each piece contained photos of the athletes participating in the Games. In protest of the banning of Russia from the Games over a doping scandal, Belarusian Ministry of Sport official Andrey Fomochkin was seen carrying the flag of Russia while entering the stadium; the flag was confiscated, and Fomochkin's credentials were revoked by the IPC for violating the policy forbidding political protests and gestures. As countries entered, the puzzle pieces were assembled on the stadium floor to create a mosaic of the human heart using the photos.
2016 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony