Chinese vice premier Hui Liangyu declared the 7th Chinese National
Games for the Disabled open on Saturday, which will run to May 20
in both Kunming, the capital of China's southwest province of Yunnan, and neighboring city of Yuxi.
The Games featured the participation of 2,251 athletes from 35
delegations for the biggest ever one of the kind in the country,
including Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.
The 7th Games features 20 sports of archery, athletics,
badminton, basketball for the deaf, boccia, cycling, football for
the blind, football for the cerebral palsy, football for the deaf,
goal ball for the blind, judo for the blind, power lifting,
shooting, swimming, table tennis, volleyball sitting, wheelchair
basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair
tennis.
Among them, five sports of archery, basketball for the deaf,
cycling, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair tennis have concluded
their competitions last year.
Swimmer Wang Xiaofu, who has five world records to his credit
and will compete in nine events at the Games, set flame to a
phoenix that flew to ignite the cauldron of the 7th National Games
for the Disabled at the opening ceremony.
The flames were collected simultaneously from five special
places of Yunnan Province on Jan. 19 and began the relay by turns
from Jan. 22 in five routes, before gathering in Kunming on Feb. 2
when the "Flame of Civilization, Flame of Nature, Flame of Purity,
Flame of Power, Flame of Victory" merged to become the "Flame of
Harmony".
Philip Graven, president of the International Paralympic
Committee (IPC), sent IPC's greetings and congratulations in a
letter for the Games.
"China has made great strides in Paralympic sports development
and this will be showcased at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. As
an important member of the Paralympic family, China is making
valuable contributions to this movement," the president
said.?
"In addition to the exciting 2008 Paralympic Games, Guangzhou
will host the next Asian Games of Disabled Persons. What really
pleases me is that I know that China is involved in Paralympic
sport for the long journey into the future. This assures me in the
knowledge that I shall see great Paralympic teams from China at
each edition of the Paralympic Games," Graven said.
Qin Guangrong, president of the local organizing committee of
the Games for the Disabled, said "the 7th Chinese National Games
for the Disabled is the last prior to the Beijing Paralympics in
2008 and will play an important role for the Chinese athletes as a
tune-up for their performance in the world arena."
"It is also for the first time that the National Games for the
Disabled is being held in western China," said Qin.
The hosts have built the Xinyao Sports Complex, re-furbished 14
other sports facilities and set up non-obstacle equipment for the
26 reception hotels.
A total of 400 vehicles of different kinds have been put into
use, including 80 special buses for those in wheelchairs, 115 bus
stops in Kunming alone have been specially rebuilt, blind sidewalks
have been paved and slopes have been constructed at the bus stops
for the blind and those in wheelchairs.
Electric bells have been put up for the blind at the pedestrian
crossings and safety islands in the middle of the crossings were
specially designed to make way for wheelchairs.
Apart from 5,000 volunteers, 2,700 taxi drivers have also offer
free drives voluntarily up till now for the athletes and those
registered members of the Games in the city.
Qin also hopes that China will continue to win the most gold
medals in the Beijing Paralympics after topping the tally for the
first time in Athens in 2004.
(Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2007)
