Paralympics boost participation in sports for disabled

The 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games will provide an opportunity for the development of sports for the disabled in China and enable the international disabled sports movement to advance "together for a shared future", a white paper on China's disabled sports said on Thursday.

The white paper, titled "China's Parasports: Progress and the Protection of Rights", was released by the State Council Information Office.

China has been going all out to prepare for the Paralympics, which open on Friday. More than 600 athletes from 48 countries and regions had registered for the Games by Feb 20, the white paper said.

Every effort has been made to prepare for the Games, and Chinese athletes will participate in all sports, it said.

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympic Games, Chinese athletes won the country's first Winter Paralympics gold medal in wheelchair curling, it said.

At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games, Chinese athletes ranked top in the gold medal and medal tallies for the fifth Summer Paralympics in a row.

Lyu Yansong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China has hosted an annual Winter Sports Season for Persons with Disabilities since 2016, providing them with a platform to participate in winter sports and helping to fulfill the Beijing 2022 bid commitment of engaging 300 million people in winter sports.

The involvement of the disabled in sports has made enormous progress in China, demonstrating the country's institutional strength in promoting progress for the disabled, he said.

Throughout the country, understanding, respect, care and help for the disabled are growing in strength, with more disabled people realizing their dreams and achieving remarkable improvements in their lives through sports, Lyu said.

The courage, tenacity and resilience that disabled people show in pushing boundaries and forging ahead have inspired the whole nation and promoted social and cultural progress, he added.

Wang Meimei, vice-president of the executive board of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, said China's successful bid for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games had generated great opportunities for the development of its Winter Paralympic sports.

Ninety-six Chinese athletes will take part in all six sports and 73 events at the Winter Paralympics. Compared with the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympic Games, the number of athletes will increase by 86, the number of sports by four, and the number of events by 67, she said.

Wang said disabled Chinese athletes have given outstanding performances at major international sporting events.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, China sent delegations of disabled athletes to participate in 160 international sporting events, bringing home a total of 1,114 gold medals, she added.

Lyu said the remarkable achievements of disabled sports in China reflected both the sportsmanship and sporting prowess of the disabled, and the progress China is making in human rights and national development.

China adheres to a people-centered approach that treats people's wellbeing as the primary human right, promotes the all-around development of human rights, and effectively protects the rights and interests of vulnerable groups, including the disabled, the white paper said.

Participation in sports is an important element of the right to subsistence and development for those with disabilities, it added.