The Paralympic Games opened in Rio on Wednesday night with a feat to defy expectations in a carnival atmosphere at the Maracana Stadium.

International Paralympic Committee president Sir Philip Craven journeyed from the Paralympic movement's birthplace of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire in an introductory video.

Lee Pearson led ParalympicsGB into the arena as part of a show with a central theme of "Everybody has a heart".

The 10-time equestrian gold medallist was chosen by his 263 fellow athletes, who are aiming to surpass their London 2012 total by winning 121 medals over 11 days of competition.

"That was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life," said Pearson.

He added: "Now let's crack on with the Games and show the world what we can do. It's been an absolutely brilliant opening ceremony."

The Paralympics has been embroiled in the worst build-up in its 56-year history, but Brazil belatedly got into the Paralympic mood.

Despite the slow uptake of tickets, 1459 days since the London Paralympics came to an end, the 78,000-seat Maracana was full on Brazil's Independence Day.

There was an audible gasp in the 78,000-seat stadium as extreme wheelchair athlete Aaron 'Wheelz' Fotheringham propelled himself in a wheelchair down a six-storey high ramp and through a hoop.

The party began in the pool and moved to the beach. Brazil's 10-time Paralympic champion Daniel Dias swimming in a virtual pool before a colourful samba on virtual sands. The 400 dancers formed a Brazilian flag to loud cheers.

It is the biggest Paralympics yet in terms of athletes participating. More than 4300 athletes from 159 nations, plus two refugees in an independent team, will be competing.

A member of the Belarus delegation paraded carrying the Russia flag before it was confiscated. Russia is absent from the Games due to a ban for state-sponsored doping.