Eastern Chinese Province to Host National Games for Disabled

Home>>Sports

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, September 07, 2003

Eastern Chinese Province to Host National Games for Disabled

The eastern China's Jiangsu Province will play host to the 6th National Games for the Disabled later this month, it was announced in Beijing on Saturday.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The eastern China's Jiangsu Province will play host to the 6th National Games for the Disabled later this month, it was announced in Beijing on Saturday.

The National Games, held every four years, will be focused on the provincial capital city of Nanjing, with branch venues in nearby cities of Yangzhou and Changzhou.

The 6th version will be the largest ever for such national games, with a total of 14 sports events including athletics, swimming, table tennis, sitting volleyball, shooting and wheelchair basketball. Expected to be present at the September 16-24 event are some 7,000 participants, including 3,200 athletes, coaches, officials and more than 400 representatives of media organizations, according to He Quan, deputy governor of Jiangsu and executive president of the organizing committee.

The 6th Games are sanctioned by the China Federation for the Disabled People, the State General Administration of Sports and the Chinese Sports Association for the Disabled. It is organized by Jiangsu's provincial people's government.

Originally scheduled for next year, the 6th games are switched to be staged one year ahead of schedule, to avoid conflicting withnext year's Paralympic Summer Games in Athens. The change is critical for China's preparations for the Athens Games and, further more, the Beijing Games, in terms of picking up athletes and training judges, officials and organizing staffs. The changesalso means that from now on, China will hold its national games for the disabled one year ahead of future Paralympic Summer Games.

The provincial preparatory committee had been set up in Januarylast year. But the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the area considerably disrupted the preparatorywork, He told reporters at a press conference here on Saturday.

"Sometimes we had to contact each other only through telephone calls and faxed messages," he admitted. "But we didn't stop our work and things went on steadily, although at a slower pace."

When the national federation for the disabled gave Jiangsu a go-ahead confirmation earlier this year, Jiangsu set up the organizing committee in July, trying to catch up with the delayed preparatory program.

Thanks to the timely financial support by the provincial authorities, preparations were put back on the track. And many disabled-friendly facilities were built to the convenience of the physically handicapped.

"It's a good chance for us to see how we could do for Athens next year and the Beijing Games in 2008," said an official with the State General Administration of Sports.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Why Japanese PM Proposes Amending Constitution Now ( 41 Messages)

Who's Going to Close "the Gate of Hell"? ( 18 Messages)

US Circulates New Draft Resolution on Iraq ( 2 Messages)

RMB Should Not Be Lumped Together with US General Election: Commentary ( 7 Messages)

When will the Immolation between the Jews and the Arabs Come to an End? ( 7 Messages)