By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) – Zambia are expected to take part in the Paris Paralympics despite being omitted from the opening ceremony after they failed to confirm that they were travelling to the Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Thursday.
The Zambia flag was nowhere to be seen as the athletes paraded down the Champs Elysees to the Place de la Concorde on Wednesday in an event attended by some 50,000 people in a joyful atmosphere.
“The Zambia flag was not included in the parade. No one has arrived yet, we’ve had zero communication in the last few days so we told them if you don’t confirm your travelling (plans) and show us your tickets, we will remove the flag,” IPC spokesperson Craig Spence told a press conference.
“We had nothing but this morning in our inbox was proof that they were coming,” Spence added, without elaborating on the date of arrival of the Zambia delegation.
Two athletes from Zambia are scheduled to participate in the Games, with their para-athletics events taking place on Sept. 4 and 5.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
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