Fireworks mark opening of Winter Paralympics

Fireworks lit up the sky over the Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang as the 2018 Paralympics Winter Games were officially opened on Friday.

Over 560 athletes will compete in 80 medal events across six sports – alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, snowboard and wheelchair curling.

In freezing temperatures, the crowd were entertained with a spectacle of lights, Korean music and dance.

Unlike the opening ceremony of the Winter Games last month, North and South Korea decided not to march together under the same flag, as both sides failed to agree on which version of the unified flag to use.

The Winter Paralympics will run from March 9 to 18.