Swedish Princess Cancels Paralympic Trip; IPC Updates Website

Swedish Royalty Skipping Sochi

Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria will not attend the Sochi Paralympics.

Ulrika Naslund, a spokeswoman for the royal palace, told the Associated Press that Princess Victoria would not attend the Games due to the "current situation." That was taken to mean the escalations of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Princess Victoria was scheduled to be in Sochi on March 9 and 10.

On Monday, the White House said it would not send an official delegation to the Paralympics because of the ongoing tension. British Members of Parliament also said they would not be going.

Record Viewership Expected

The International Paralympic Committee said it expects the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games to be the most-viewed Paralympic Games.

A total of 55 countries are set to broadcast Paralympic competition, and there will be an increase in the amount of competition shown on the air.

The IPC will also broadcast over 300 hours of competition through five high-definition channels on Paralympic.org.

"Millionsof people around the world will be able to watch the Paralympic Winter Games for the first time," Alexis Schaefer, the marketing and commercial director of the IPC, said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"Such increase in coverage can only bode well for the future."

IPC Updates Website

The International Paralympic Committee launched a special Sochi 2014 homepage, two days before the start of the Paralympic Games.

The new homepage provides up-to-date competition information, as well as news and blogs from athletes. Visitors will also find live coverage of the Paralympic Games on the website.

A mobile-friendly version of the website has alsobeen launched.

Written by Andrew Murrell

Homepage photo: Getty Images

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