Paralympic symbols The Paralympic flag has a white background, with the Paralympic symbol in the centre. The current Paralympic flag was first flown during the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Paralympic Games in 2010. Until the 2010 Winter Paralympics, the host country chose the site and the method through which the Paralympic Torch was lit. Since the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the concept of the Paralympic Torch Relay has changed and the Official Paralympic Flame is always created in the Games host city by uniting different regional flames. For London 2012 four regional flames from the national capitals of London, Belfast, Edinburgh and
Paralympic Games IPC member, the national flags of the three medalists are raised while the national anthem of the gold medallists country plays. Volunteering citizens of the host country also act as hosts during the medal ceremonies, as they aid the officials who present the medals and act as flag-bearers. For every Paralympic event, the respective medal ceremony is held, at most, one day after the event's final. In 2001 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement which guaranteed that host cities would be contracted to manage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Initially agreed