09/03/2018 Newsround

Good afternoon!

Ricky here with your final

Newsround update for today.

And we're going all out

for the Winter Paralympics.

It's set to be the largest staging

of the event, with a record

567 athletes competing.

Here are some of the highlights

from today's opening ceremony.

And we're off! We start with dancers

performing a traditional dance.

Recognise this lot? Paralympics GB

are in the house.

After all the competing countries

enter, the stadium is taken over by

kids, who are having a good old

party. And no party in South Korea

is complete without kapok. -- kapok.

Here we go, the moment everybody has

been waiting for. The Paralympic

flame is lit. Let the games begin!

Looks amazing, doesn't it?

Well, Kate Grey is in PyeongChang

for BBC Sport, and sent us this.

It was less than two weeks ago that

the Olympics drew to a close in

Pyeongchang and now it is the turn

of the Paralympics. The crowd was

treated to a spectacular opening

ceremony of dancing, fireworks and

snowboarding bears. Looking ahead

today one of the Paralympics

tomorrow, there is plenty of British

interest. Millie Knight and Menna

Fitzpatrick goal in the downhill.

They will be hot favourites for

medals. Scott Meenagh will be going

in the Nordic skiing. The first time

Britain have been represented in 20

years. The wheelchair curlings will

begin their campaign. A lot to look

forward to.

Team GB are taking part

in five sports at the games

and have an ambitious target

to meet, aiming to scoop

between six and 12 medals.

Kate just mentioned one

of Britain s big medal hopefuls,

visually impaired skier

Millie Knight.

Before she headed to Pyeongchang,

we went to meet her.

What is it like skiing visually

impaired?

I would say it is much

easier that I can't ski. Brett skis

in front of me and we talk all the

way down the mountain, what the

script snow is like, what Peter

Rayner is like and I will say

whether we're going to quickly or

too slowly.

I wear a bright orange

jacket and we are connected via

headset. I can see what is coming

up, a change of to rain, a change in

the course. Millie tells me if I'm

skiing too fast or too slow.

Is it

true your mum was your first guide?

Yes, we won bronze, which was

exciting. We got disqualified in the

others. But that's fine!

What

happened to her?

My coach said I

needed someone more permanent. And

faster!

When I went to such either was no

pressure. I was going just to

compete, to see what it was like and

have a fun time. But now it is very

different. Now it is very much more

about my performance, getting

medals. There is a little bit more

pressure.

How do you feel before a race?

Bread

is better on the start gate than me.

He is very calm and relaxed. We talk

through the course a lot.

I have to

make sure that Millie is OK. She

goes quite quiet sometimes, which is

not good. She listens to the script.

What message would you have for

other people who are visual -- with

visual impairment?

Fernie, losing my

sight is the best thing that ever

happened to me. I have got into

sport, which has built me as a

person. I have more confidence

through skiing. I have made so many

new friends and Bentiu amazing

places. But without sport I would

not have done. Give sport a go.

Just try it.

Of course, we'll be keeping you up

to date with all of the highlights

from the games over

the next ten days.

Head online now to see how some

of this year's medal hopefuls got

on, when we tested their knowledge

of the history of the paralympics.

That's all we've got time for today.

Newsround's back in the morning.

Enjoy your friday night.

Bye!