The opening ceremony of the 2016 Paralympic Games Wednesday in Rio featured thousands of athletes, musical performances, fireworks, and a giant jigsaw puzzle with the faces of every competitor that beat in time to music.
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A stunt by Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham kicked things off, with the U.S. athlete jumping from a ramp in his wheelchair and doing a back flip through a large ring. The competition starts on Thursday, and will run through Sept. 18, with an estimated 4,350 athletes from more than 160 countries taking part in 528 medal events across 22 sports.
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There was some drama during the ceremony, with the crowd booing 2016 organizing committee president Carlos Nuzman and Brazilian president Michel Temer, who appeared at the event just 24 hours after ousted president Dilma Rousseff left her official residence for the last time, following her removal from office. Catherine Garcia
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