Beijing primed for Paralympics

Last Modified: 05 Sep 2008
Source: ITN

Beijing is gearing up to host the largest ever gathering of disabled athletes at the 13th Paralympics.

China promised to stage the event under the principle of Two Games, Equal Splendour and the same stunning venues will be used for 11 days of competition involving more than 4,000 athletes from nearly 150 countries in 20 sports.

Beijing's anti-pollution measures have remained in place, the security around the Chinese capital is just as tight and, as far as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is concerned, the local organisers have been equally well prepared.

IPC President Philip Craven: "We'll have the most number of athletes, the most number of sports, the most number of countries ever. It'll be the biggest ever.

"This is a dangerous thing to say but I've never felt so relaxed before a Games."

Beijing might also host the best attended Paralympics ever. Organisers said that 72 per cent of the 1.65 million tickets have been snapped up, even though 330,000 of those were handed out free to students and the disabled.

China topped the medals table at the last Games in Athens four years ago and are likely to dominate even more than they did at the Olympics with their biggest ever delegation of 547 athletes and officials.

Amputee swimmer Natalie Du Toit and the Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius, both South Africans, will receive a lot of attention despite the rival attractions of goalball, wheelchair rugby and sitting volleyball.

Du Toit and Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka are the only two athletes to appear at both Games this year, while Pistorius's ultimately doomed attempt to qualify for Olympics on his prosthetics made headlines around the world.

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