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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Paralympic Games opened Wednesday with 4,350 athletes demonstrating first-hand their creed: The heart knows no limits; everybody has a heart.Wheelchair daredevil Aaron Wheelz showed the spirit in the opening act.As a countdown from 10 reached its end, Wheelz raced down a giant ramp and somersaulted in the air through a giant 0 on the stadium floor. That finished the countdown and shattered more stereotypes about what athletes with disabilities can do.The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Philip Craven, made a similar point with his speech. Craven, who lost the use of his legs in a rock-climbing fall at the age of 16, reminded Brazilians they have their own problems to overcome.Craven suggested Brazilians follow the lead of Paralympians.In a country which has faced major challenges of late, Paralympians will switch your focus from perceived limitations -- to a world full of possibility and endless opportunity, Craven said. They will surprise you, inspire and excite you, but most of all they will change you.Brazil is mired in its worst recession in generations. The country just removed its elected president, and these games needed a government bailout of almost $80 million to make it to the starting line.Craven also used the theme of inclusion, topical in a country often separated by the rich and poor, and black and white; a country with few provisions for wheelchairs or anyone with an impairment.Show the world that there is no them, there is only us, Craven told the capacity crowd at the opener. A world where people of all abilities, races, nationalities and sexualities can come together as one. We are all part of one world.The symbolic cauldron was lit by Brazilian swimmer and wheelchair user Clodoaldo Silva as rain fell. The six-time gold medalist faced a flight of stairs and looked perplexed about what to do next. The staircase then opened, exposing a ramp leading to the cauldron. Problem solved.Silva received the torch after a number of athletes carried it in the stadium. Among them was former Brazilian Paralympic medalist Marcia Malsar, who wobbled and fell over backward as she carried the torch across floor with aid of a cane. Malsar got back up, with some assistance, and finished her roughly 30-meter section of the relay in an effort warmly acknowledged by the crowd.The show featured a tribute to the wheel, to Brazils swirling samba rhythms, and to the beach -- a ritual gathering spot in Rio. And there was the cast applauding an imaginary sunset, another ritual in this beach town.The show also saluted Brazilian swimmer Daniel Dias, the countrys most decorated Paralympian with 10 gold medals -- and surely more to come in Rio.Organizers say tickets sales have been booming. Only 200,000 were sold a few weeks ago, but theyve now sold 1.6 million. The goal is 2.4 million. This is partly a result of the reasonable prices for many tickets, only 10 Brazilian reals ($3).A notable absentee was International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.The IOC chief said he had to miss the ceremony to attend a state mourning ceremony in Germany for Walter Scheel, the former West Germany president.Craven told reporters its the first time since Salt Lake City in 2002 that an IOC president had missed a Paralympic opening.Patrick Hickey, a high-ranking IOC member from Ireland, was among 10 people charged by Brazilian prosecutors on Tuesday with ticket scalping, conspiracy and ambush marketing related to last months Olympics.Police investigators said they wanted to speak with Bach about email exchanges he had with Hickey related to ticket allocations for Ireland. Police had planned to summon Bach if he came for the opening ceremony, though there is no evidence he knew about the ticket scam.Also missing were 267 Russian athletes who were banned because of alleged state-sponsored doping. Officials say 159 nations were entered on Wednesday, and in addition a refugee team.Rio 2016 organizing committee chairman Carlos Arthur Nuzman, Craven and -- loudest of all Brazil President Michel Temer -- were jeered. Nuzman and Craven when they thanked the Brazil government.Temer opened the games officially and, as he was in the Olympics when he was only the acting president, was jeered by fans chanting Fora Temer -- Out Temer.Temer took over as president after Dilma Rousseff was removed from office on impeachment charges a week ago by the federal senate.---Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade Nike Shoes Ireland From China . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Nike Shoes Ireland Online . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. http://www.nikeshoesoutletireland.com/ . After Martin Skrtel put the Reds in front from close range at Stamford Bridge after only four minutes, Hazard hit back in the 17th with a superb strike. Etoo gave Jose Mourinhos team a decisive lead from Oscars back pass in the 34th. Cheap Nike Shoes Ireland . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Wholesale Shoes Ireland Free Shipping . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs new weapon more than likely will be put in the holster Friday during the opener of an interleague series against the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field.Wednesday was simply a get-acquainted session for Aroldis Chapman. The newly acquired closer entered in the ninth inning and finished off the Cubs 8-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.On Thursday, it was strictly business. The left-hander entered in the eighth inning with two outs and a White Sox runner on third in a one-run game. He proceeded to strike out Melky Cabrera, and then he worked a one-two-three ninth en route to his 21st save of the year and first as a Cub.By pitching two days in a row, including the four-out save Thursday, Chapman isnt likely to be available Friday, however.Going forward, Chapmans presence -- combined with that of late-inning pitchers Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon -- gives the Cubs an imposing relief force. Rondon spent much of the season as closer, compiling 18 saves.Especially with Chapman in the ninth inning, Stropy and me are more free to pitch in tough situations, Rondon said following the Cubs 3-1 victory over the White Sox on Thursday. We feel thats a strong bullpen right now.The Cubs face Seattle right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (11-6, 3.96 ERA) in Fridays series opener.The 35-year-old veteran is 10-2 with a 3.69 ERA over his past 12 starts. The Friday start will be Iwakumas second against the Cubs. He had a no-decision in an eight-inning effort on June 28, 2013.The Cubs counter with lefty Jon Lester (10-4, 3.09 ERA). He is just 1-1 in his past six starts, but he boasts a 5-2 record and a 2.18 ERA at Wrigley Fieldd this season.dddddddddddd In his career against the Mariners, the Tacoma, Wash., native is 5-4 with a 3.52 ERA, although he has not faced them since 2014.Mariners right fielder Nelson Cruz is expected back in the lineup after the teams off day Thursday. He sat out the Wednesday game in Pittsburgh after fouling a ball off his left shin on Tuesday.Cruzs return is not good news for Lester. Cruz, who leads the Mariners with 25 home runs, has a .393 average with two doubles, a triple and three homers in 28 at-bats vs. Lester.Like the Cubs, the Mariners have a new reliever in their bullpen this week. Right-hander Drew Storen was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for right-hander Joaquin Benoit late Tuesday night.Storen made his Mariners debut Wednesday against the Pirates, allowing four runs in 1 1/3 innings.I grew up as a big Mariners fan, he told The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune. So its kind of cool from the fans standpoint in me. The team I grew up following. Its great.Though Storen grew up in Indiana, he was attracted to the Mariners by the presence of future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.I was all in on Griffey, Storen told the News Tribune. I had every teal jersey there was. I had the Mariners T-shirt and pillowcase during the playoffs and stuff. I was all in.The Mariners, who are making just their second trip to Wrigley Field in franchise history, enter the series with a 10-3 interleague record, the best in the major leagues, ahead of the Boston Red Sox (8-3) and the Detroit Tigers (10-4). ' ' '