In pursuit of Paralympic excellence

According to Yong Zhijun, competition and training department director of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, China had only participated in two Para sports prior to its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

From a total of less than 50 Para athletes at that time, China now has a pool of around 1,000 to choose from.

Since 2016, China has collected 38 gold medals in 59 Paralympic series events.

As the Beijing Games help raise awareness about the importance of creating a convenient environment for people with disabilities, more barrier-free facilities have been installed around the country.

"There are 45 sports training centers for persons with disabilities in China. These sports facilities now are far better and more advanced, and persons with disabilities are engaging more and more in the development of the whole society," said Zhang Haidi, president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

The barrier-free facilities have been extended from the venues to other parts of the host cities－Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province－enabling persons with disabilities better access to winter sports.

The 2022 Paralympic Winter Olympics will feature 78 medal events across six sports, taking place at five competition venues across three zones－downtown Beijing, Yanqing district and Zhangjiakou.

Xinhua