"I don't know what happened there but I'm shocked, I'm really shocked, because somehow he really carries the flag of the Paralympic Games and Paralympians, " Eduard Novak, a Romanian para-cyclist who won a gold medal in the London games, said in a phone interview Thursday.

WSJ: Olympian Pistorius to Face Charges in Killing

Meanwhile in Downing Street the official flag of the 2012 Paralympic Games has been raised - replacing the Olympic rings that have been flying over Number 10.

BBC: Athletes Village

Its "rainbow run", like the Olympics' torch relay, carries a rainbow flag through many of the games' participating cities.

BBC: The Gay Games VIII in Cologne, Germany