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2022 Winter Paralympics medal count

The Paralympics ended Sunday in Beijing after nine days of intense competition that left no doubt of one immutable truth: Ukraine is alive.

Driving the news: Ukraine finished second in gold (11) and overall medals (29) despite "difficulties escaping the bombs" just to arrive in Beijing, as Ukrainian Paralympic committee president Valeriy Sushkevych put it.

"Our presence here at the Paralympic Games, it's not just a presence. It's a sign that Ukraine was, is, and will remain a country. ... It's a symbol to show that Ukraine is alive."

China's dominance: Four years after winning its first-ever Winter Paralympics medal, China lapped the field with 61.

Masters on top: Oksana Masters, Team USA's Ukrainian-born star, won seven medals to give her 14 in her Winter Paralympics career — an American record.

Canadian legend: Cross-country skier Brian McKeever, 42, won three more golds, giving him 16 for his career. That ties Germany's Gerd Schönfelder for the most ever.

American dynasty: Team USA beat Canada, 5-0, to win its fourth consecutive sled hockey gold medal. In the past two Paralympics, the U.S. is 9-0 with a combined score of 70-3.

1 dog thing: Austria's vision-impaired cross-country skier Carina Edlinger, who medaled twice, presented her guide dog, Riley, with his own medal.

🎥 Watch: Closing Ceremony highlights (YouTube)

China and Ukraine top medal count at Beijing Paralympics

Ukraine finished second in gold and overall medals despite "difficulties escaping the bombs" just to get to Beijing.

Sports

Ukrainian medalist celebrate at the men’s para biathlon middle distance vision impaired medal ceremony

Beijing Winter Olympics

Shifts in technology and media are changing the way we play, watch and understand sports. Business models are adapting and social change is forcing those in charge of teams and leagues to reconsider decades-old practices.

Team USA Paralympic Nordic skiers Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch won the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women's individual sitting 12.5km biathlon.

The big picture: It's the third time within a week that Masters and Gretsch podiumed together. The two have a combined eight medals at this year's Games. 

Masters has won five medals at the Games, while Gretsch has picked up three.

Team China's Yilian Shan earned bronze in the women's sitting 12.5km biathlon event. 

Earlier this week, Masters reflected on the difficulty of competing amid Russia's ongoing invasion of her birthplace, Ukraine. 

"I feel selfish, helpless, and guilty for being here," she wrote in an Instagram post. "However, I have always been so proud to be Ukrainian, felt so much pride at the sight of the Ukrainian flag, and now more than ever, I am the proudest to say I am Ukrainian. My mom always said my Ukrainian heart made me resilient; it made me a fighter."

Masters was born in Ukraine with defects to her limbs and some organs linked to the nearby Chernobyl nuclear disaster. She had both of her legs amputated above the knee as a child and spent time in an orphanage before being adopted by an American woman, Axios' Rebecca Falconer writes. 

Go deeper: "Strong spirit": Ukrainian athletes show resolve after Russian invasion

Team USA's Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch add to Paralympics medal haul

Masters took the gold, while Gretsch won silver in the women's longest individual sitting biathlon event.

Picture of Kendall Gretsch, Oksana Masters and Yilin Shan receiving their medals

From left to right: Kendall Gretsch of Team USA, Oksana Masters of Team USA and Yilin Shan of Team China. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Paralympics

Oksana Masters, who won Team USA's first gold medal of the Beijing Winter Paralympics, has opened about the difficulty in competing in the Games during the Russian military invasion of her birthplace, Ukraine.

What she's saying: "I feel selfish, helpless, and guilty for being here," she wrote in an Instagram post. "However, I have always been so proud to be Ukrainian, felt so much pride at the sight of the Ukrainian flag, and now more than ever, I am the proudest to say I am Ukrainian. My mom always said my Ukrainian heart made me resilient; it made me a fighter."

The 32-year-old multisport Paralympian noted in Saturday's post that the Winter Paralympics were a reminder of how sport "has always had the power to unite the world" and vowed to race "for more than just my own goals, more than a spot on the podium."

"I want to help make sure no child is forgotten. I know how it felt to be a child in Ukraine with disabilities where the resource for medical help was slim to non-existent — more now in the midst of a war," she added, linking to the No Child Forgotten's fund-raising campaign to help Ukraine.

The big picture: Masters was born in Ukraine with defects to her limbs and some organs linked to the nearby Chernobyl nuclear disaster. She had both of her legs amputated above the knee as a child and spent time in an orphanage before being adopted by an American woman. 

By the numbers: Masters took her Beijing Paralympics medals tally to two on Sunday, winning silver in the long-distance sitting cross-country skiing event following her gold in the women's skiing sitting 6km sprint biathlon.

She has now won 12 Paralympic medals — nine at the Winter Games and three in the summer event.

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U.S. Paralympics gold medalist pays tribute to Ukraine birthplace after win

"I want to help make sure no child is forgotten," the gold medalist wrote.

Gold medalist Oksana Masters of Team USA during the Para Biathlon Women’s Sprint Sitting medal ceremony on day two of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics on March 06, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China.

Team USA gold medalist Oksana Masters during the para biathlon women’s sprint sitting medal ceremony on day two of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at Zhangjiakou Medals Plaza in Zhangjiakou, China, on Sunday. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Oksana Masters became the first American athlete to win a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing on Friday.

Why it matters: Masters claimed her fifth career Paralympic gold medal,  propelling Team USA to the podium in the sitting biathlon sprint.

The 32-year-old, who is competing in her sixth Paralympics, was born in Ukraine with a number of radiation-induced defects following 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Masters also competed in Tokyo's 2020 Summer Paralympic Games where she claimed two gold medals in cycling.

Oksana Masters wins 1st gold for U.S. at Paralympic Winter Games

It was her fifth career Paralympic gold medal.

Oksana Masters of Team USA during a Official Training Session at Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre on March 03, 2022 in Beijing, China. 

Oksana Masters of Team USA during a Official Training Session at Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre on March 03, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

2022 Winter Olympics

All-time Winter Paralympic medal counts

The 13th Winter Paralympics began Friday in Beijing with two fewer competing nations than expected.

The backdrop: The IPC on Thursday banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Games, reversing its previous decision that would have allowed them to compete under the neutral Paralympic flag.

"The environment in the village is deteriorating," IPC president Andrew Parsons told NYT, citing the athlete anger and boycott threats that led to the reversal.

The other side: "[The] decision ... to bar our team is a blatant violation of athletes' rights," said Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin.

The intrigue: Coming off the most-watched Paralympics ever in Tokyo, NBC will air the Winter Paralympics in primetime for the first time ever. That, plus the political climate, could draw similar record viewership.

Details: 736 athletes representing a record 49 delegations will compete in Beijing, including Team USA star Oksana Masters, who was born in Ukraine.

Paralympians will live in the same athletes' village that hosted Olympians last month, which has been upgraded to meet all accessibility requirements.

Six venues in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou will host 78 medal events across six sports: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, sled hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.

Three delegations are making their Winter Paralympics debut (Azerbaijan, Israel, Puerto Rico), and three more are back after lengthy absences (Liechtenstein, Estonia, Latvia).

What to watch as the Paralympics get underway

The Winter Paralympics began Friday in Beijing with two fewer competing nations than expected.

Performers dance during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics.

Russian and Belarusian athletes will be banned from competing in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, after the International Paralympic Committee reversed its original decision.

Why it matters: The IPC made clear in its statement Thursday that it faced boycott threats from some member nations after saying a day earlier that athletes from Russia and Belarus could compete at the Beijing Paralympics, but not as representatives of their countries. 

Under the original decision in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Paralympians were to compete under the neutral Paralympic flag.

 The Games' opening ceremony will be held this Friday. 

Flashback: Several national governing bodies had called for a complete ban on international sporting participation for Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials before the Beijing Paralympics, including the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

What they're saying: IPC president Andrew Parsons said in a statement that 83 Paralympians would not be able to compete in Beijing due to the Paralympics governing body's decision, but he added other nations would "likely withdraw" if they had remained.

"At the IPC we are very firm believers that sport and politics should not mix," he said. "However, by no fault of its own the war has now come to these Games and behind the scenes many Governments are having an influence on our cherished event."

Parsons said the IPC was "looking at the long-term health and survival of the Paralympic Movement" when it decided that Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and Belarusian Paralympic Committee (BPC) athletes could take part in Beijing.

"However, what is clear is that the rapidly escalating situation has now put us in a unique and impossible position so close to the start of the Games," he added.

The bottom line: Parsons said "an overwhelming number of members" had contacted the IPC in the 12 hours following its decision to allow the RPC and BPC athletes to compete. 

"They have told us that if we do not reconsider our decision, it is now likely to have grave consequences" for the Beijing Paralympics, he said.

"Multiple" governing bodies, "some of which have been contacted by their governments, teams and athletes, are threatening not to compete," Parsons added.

Go deeper: The latest on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Russia and Belarus athletes banned from Paralympics after backlash

Some member nations were "threatening not to compete" if the 2 countries weren't banned, Paralympics governing body said.

A general view of athletes warming up during a Russian Paralympic Committee Para Ice Hockey training session at National Indoor Stadium on March 03, 2022 in Beijing, China.

An athlete warms up during a Russian Paralympic Committee Para Ice Hockey training session at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Russia

The International Olympic Committee "strongly condemned" Russia on Thursday for violating the Olympic Truce when it attacked Ukraine. 

Driving the news: The truce, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last year, began seven days before the start of the Beijing Olympics and ends seven days after the closing of the Paralympic Games, which are slated to take place March 4-13.

The truce “calls upon all Member States to cooperate with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in their efforts to use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation in areas of conflict during and beyond the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games," according to the IOC. 

What they're saying: "The International Olympic Committee (IOC) strongly condemns the breach of the Olympic Truce by the Russian government," the committee said.

"Following recent events, the IOC is deeply concerned about the safety of the Olympic Community in Ukraine," it added. 

"It has established a task force to closely monitor the situation and to coordinate humanitarian assistance to members of the Olympic Community in Ukraine where possible."

Go deeper: The latest on the Russia-Ukraine crisis 

IOC "strongly condemns" Russia for violating Olympic Truce

The truce doesn't end until seven days after the Paralympic Games conclude.

The delegation from Russia takes part in the parade of athletes, underneath the Olympics rings,

The ROC flag flies behind the Olympic rings during the parade of athletes. Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

An average of 10.7 million people watched the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games on NBC in primetime over the past few weeks, the network announced on Monday. Including NBC's streaming and digital platforms, that number ticked up to 11.4 million.

Why it matters: It's the smallest primetime audience for any Winter Olympic Games on record. 

In total, ratings for the Beijing Games were down 36% from the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. 

Opening ceremony viewership for the Beijing Games earlier this month fell to an all-time low this year. 

Yes, but: The Winter Olympics drew a sizable digital audience, per NBC. The network said the event was streamed for a total of 4.3 billion minutes across digital and social media, making it NBCUniversal’s "most streamed Winter Games ever."

In total, 160 million Americans watched NBC’s Beijing Olympics presentation at some point during the past two and a half weeks across NBC, its streaming service Peacock and other digital platforms, per NBC. 

Be smart: Live TV viewership for the Olympics has been plummeting for years, but the declines have been exacerbated by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions and timezone headaches. 

Primetime ratings for the Tokyo Olympics last year were down 42% from the 2016 Summer Games.

Neither this year's Winter Games nor the 2020 Summer Games had fans in the stands. 

The past three Olympics broadcasts have all been in Asia, which means major moments often broke on social media before they aired on NBC in primetime.

Linear viewership for major TV events

Data: Axios research; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

The big picture: Viewership for all major TV events, including award shows and national sports championships, is declining, but some events are holding up better than others. 

The Super Bowl, for example, continues to garner a sizable linear TV audience.

Overall, award shows seem to be declining faster than most major live sports championship events, according to Nielsen data. 

What to watch: Networks are going to need to reassess which tentpole events are worth the heavy broadcast rights fees and which ones aren't. 

For most major events — especially the Olympics — live TV viewership numbers alone can't measure total engagement, given the ability to watch clips on different social or streaming platforms. 

What to watch: When it comes to tentpole events, advertisers still mostly transact off of live TV ratings, making it harder for networks to monetize social and streaming views, at least for now. 

The pandemic-driven shift to streaming has forced TV companies to find new measurement alternatives faster than expected.

Go deeper: Winter Olympians go under the radar

Beijing Winter Olympics viewership drops to record low

The event still drew a sizable digital audience, per NBC.

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Technology

China

Axios China

Beijing mostly got what it wanted from the Winter Olympics — a smooth Games without a major COVID outbreak. But political and human rights controversies were never far from the surface.

Why it matters: The Chinese government has poured billions of dollars into new infrastructure, facilities and COVID testing for the Winter Olympics, hoping the investment would pay off with a boost to China's international image.

The big picture: The Games went smoothly for the most part, with gorgeous winter backdrops and stars like Eileen Gu winning both medals and social media love.

Yes, but: All the things that made the Beijing Games controversial in the first place continued to bubble up throughout the competition, creating an atmosphere of underlying tension.

The opening ceremony featured a Uyghur cross-country skier, Dinigeer Yilamujiang, as torchbearer. She was the only Uyghur on Team China this year, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

After Yilamujiang finished 43rd among 65 athletes, she avoided reporters on her way out.

The Chinese government is perpetrating a genocide against Uyghurs in China's northwest. Uyghurs abroad compared the Chinese government's showcasing of Yilamujiang to Nazi Germany's prominent display of a German Jew in the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Details: Anti-China sentiment in South Korea spiked during the Games, amid accusations of biased judging in the short-track speed skating competition.

Networks of bots and influencers on Western social media platforms pushed out glowing narratives about the Olympics to audiences outside China, the New York Times found.

The International Olympic Committee issued a rare rebuke of a Chinese Olympic official after a Feb. 17 press conference in which the official broke with political neutrality by stating: "Taiwan is an indivisible part of China."

Many athletes felt afraid to publicly criticize China's human rights record before heading to Beijing, a fear fanned by Chinese authorities who warned international athletes of "punishment."

But Nils van der Poel, a 25-year-old Swedish speedskater who won two gold medals, spoke freely after he returned home to Sweden. 

The Olympics is "a fantastic sporting event where you unite the world and nations meet," he said. "But so did Hitler before invading Poland, and so did Russia before invading Ukraine."

“I think it is extremely irresponsible to give it to a country that violates human rights as blatantly as the Chinese regime is doing," he said.

Beijing avoided Olympics disaster

Controversy simmered, but didn't boil over.

The Beijing Games came to a close Sunday with a ceremony at the Beijing National Stadium.

Why it matters: These were the second Olympic games to take place during the pandemic and were conducted within the confines of China's "closed loop" system designed to keep COVID out, the strictest-ever protocols created for a global sporting event.

Dwindling case numbers as the Games went on indicate that the "closed loop" largely worked, though the strict procedures posed difficulties for some athletes competing, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.

Children holding lit snowflake figures perform at the closing ceremony of the beijing games

Children holding lit snowflake figures perform at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images

A general view is seen of flag bearers during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony 

A general view is seen of flag bearers during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony. Photo: Fred Lee/Getty Images

Willow twig farewell performance at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

Willow twig farewell performance at the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images

snowflake-shaped Olympic cauldron during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony 

Snowflake-shaped Olympic cauldron during the closing ceremony. Photo: Fred Lee/Getty Images

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during the closing ceremony

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during the closing ceremony. Photo: Wei Zheng/CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images

Fireworks explode over the Beijing National Stadium

Fireworks explode over the Beijing National Stadium. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

In photos: Beijing Olympics end with visually striking closing ceremony

These were the second Olympic games to take place during the pandemic.

Fireworks over the closing ceremony of the Beijing Games

Fireworks light up the sky over the National Stadium during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Photo: Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images

Data: CrowdTangle; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios

Team USA athletes generated far less interest on social media during the Winter Olympics than those who competed in the Summer Games, according to data from CrowdTangle.

Why it matters: The numbers suggest a broader branding problem for the Winter Olympics, which saw declining ratings and fewer marketable stars.

It didn't help that the U.S. is fifth in the medal count in Beijing after coming in first in Tokyo.

By the numbers: Simone Biles alone garnered three times as many interactions on her Instagram account over a 14-day span in the Tokyo Olympics as the top ten Winter Olympians combined. 

Snowboarder Shaun White dominated Team USA's Instagram presence during his fifth and final Games at 2.74 million interactions — more than the next nine Americans combined. But it was a far cry from Biles' 16 million. 

White registered the four biggest Instagram posts among U.S. athletes, by interactions, with his "Thank you, snowboarding" farewell getting the top spot.

The big picture: While the Beijing games drew fewer TV viewers than Tokyo in 2021, the ratings gulf is not as big as the gap in social engagement among the event's stars.

Between the lines: The summer Olympics boast more events that double as the world's most popular sports, including soccer and basketball. 

However, the most popular summer athletes competed in sports that many fans only pay attention to once every four years — swimming, gymnastics and track.

15-year old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva, who became the most polarizing figure of the games after being reinstated following a positive drug test, hasn't posted to her account since January.

Zoom out: Looking beyond Instagram, younger Olympians have built brands on TikTok. White has 1.5 million followers, snowboarder Maddie Mastro has 608k and figure skater Karen Chen has 588k. 

Facebook was a less important platform for Team USA, as many of the younger athletes do not maintain a page.

Shaun White had 11x more engagement on Instagram than on Facebook.

Biles vacuums up Olympics attention on social media

Exclusive poll: Why Americans are turned off by the Olympics

Winter Olympians go under the radar

The numbers suggest a broader branding problem for the Winter Olympics.

Axios Sports

Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater who came to Beijing as the favorite to win gold, will leave without a medal — and as the unfortunate villain of these Olympics.

Why it matters: A child was failed by the adults around her, and figure skating was failed by an anti-doping system that protected no one.

The result was one of the cringiest half hours of television you'll ever watch: Valieva's coach barely tried to comfort her after she completed her disastrous long program, during which she looked broken.

Her teammate, Anna Shcherbakova, sat alone after winning gold, and said she felt an "emptiness inside." Her other teammate, Alexandra Trusova, was shouting and crying after winning silver.

What they're saying: "Irreparable harm" is what the Court of Arbitration for Sport used as justification to allow Valieva to skate despite her positive test. "None of this is the fault of the athlete," the panel wrote.

"Well, here was the irreparable harm," writes Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel. "Valieva is a victim of child abuse ... Yet the Olympics not only kept her with her captives, they emboldened and empowered them."

"We watched her skate ... likely already aware that this scandal will follow her the rest of her life," writes The Ringer's Michael Baumann. "Or maybe that realization is yet to come, which might be worse."

Meanwhile, the system is pointing fingers at itself: The CAS criticized anti-doping rules, the IOC criticized the decision by the CAS, and IOC president Thomas Bach criticized Valieva's entourage.

Of note: 56% of Americans familiar with the scandal believe Valieva should have been banned, while 44% believe only her coach and team doctor should have been banned since she's a minor, per exclusive data from The Harris Poll (survey conducted last weekend).

The bottom line: The Olympics have an integrity problem, and this scandal — in which a country wasn't held accountable, and in which adults sent a child to suffer in public — only reinforces that reality.

Go deeper: The Winter Olympics medal tracker

Editor's note: This story originally published on Feb. 18.

How the system failed Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva

A child was failed by the adults around her, and figure skating was failed by an anti-doping system that protected no one.

Kamila Valieva cries after completing her disastrous long program.

Photo: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images

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Diving deeper into the VR broadcast of the Olympics beyond my first look, I found there was even more to discover and appreciate about its unique view into the Beijing games — but also a longer list of downsides.

Why it matters: Virtual reality has the potential to bring people both closer to the action and deeper behind the scenes. At the same time, it can be more isolating, tiring and blurry than watching a broadcast on a nice TV. 

Details: While I had taken NBC's Olympics VR Olympics app for a spin earlier in the games, I wanted to see how it would feel to watch a highly anticipated event in VR. For that, I chose Wednesday night's gold medal women's hockey game between the U.S. and Canada, watching the first period in VR and the second and third period on TV.

Giving the VR Olympics another chance

Watching the games via headset has both ups and downs.

Beijing Winter Olympics

The big picture

Beijing avoided Olympics disaster

Winter Olympians go under the radar

How the system failed Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva

Giving the VR Olympics another chance

American women lead the way in Beijing

The Winter Olympics medal tracker

All Beijing Winter Olympics stories

China and Ukraine top medal count at Beijing Paralympics

Team USA's Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch add to Paralympics medal haul

U.S. Paralympics gold medalist pays tribute to Ukraine birthplace after win

Oksana Masters wins 1st gold for U.S. at Paralympic Winter Games

What to watch as the Paralympics get underway

Russia and Belarus athletes banned from Paralympics after backlash

IOC "strongly condemns" Russia for violating Olympic Truce

Beijing Winter Olympics viewership drops to record low

Beijing avoided Olympics disaster