China's National Games for Disabled opens in Nanjing

Home>>Sports

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, September 17, 2003

China's National Games for Disabled opens in Nanjing

China's 6th National Games for the Disabled opened Tuesday in Nanjing, with a record field of more than 7,000 participants for the 10-day event.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

National Games for Disabled opens in Nanjing

China's 6th National Games for the Disabled opened Tuesday in Nanjing, with a record field of more than 7,000 participants for the 10-day event.

Li Ruihuan, Honorary President of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) and the National Games Organizing Committee, declared open the games in a ceremony held in the Wutaishan Gymnasium.

The opening ceremony featured a mini march-in of participating delegations and an art and dance performance entitled "Flight of Life", with a theme of "Equality, Commitment and Share".

Phil Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), sent a message to congratulate the Games.

Among others present at the ceremony were Deng Pufang, President of the CDPF, Yuan Weimin, Minister of China's State General Administration of Sports, Paul de Pace, President of the International Wheelchair Sports Federation, Kazuo Hatada, President of the FESPIC Federation, Pol Wautermartens, IPC Chairperson Powerlifting and Anne Green, IPC Chairperson Swimming.

The Games flame was ignited by Xu Hongyan, Paralympic champion in women's shot put and discus, in Atlanta and Sydney. She is a Jiangsu native.

Gathering in the capital city of the eastern Jiangsu Province are 35 delegations across the country, including those from 31 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and the special administrative regions (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macao. Hosting province Jiangsu has two delegations at the games.

Also present at the quadrennial games is a five-swimmer Australian delegation, led by Australian Paralympic Committee's head coach Brendan Keogh and his colleague Wanda Smales. The Australians are here at the invitation of the China National Paralympic Committee (C NPC). They are the first ever foreign athletes at the Chinese national games.

Listed on the games program are 15 sports -- athletics, swimming, powerlifting, shooting, table tennis, badminton, judo (for blind athletes), boccia (for blind athletes), wheelchair basketball, volleyball (sitting type), tennis, wheelchair fencing, archery, cycling and basketball for athletes with hearing disabilities. The last four are newly introduced on the program.

The cycling competitions (track and road) had been held earlier this month.

Among the participants are 2,230 athletes, 990 coaches and team officials and 810 referees. Some 500 journalists and photographers are here to cover the major national sporting event for athletes with physical and mental disabilities.

The 6th national games originally set for next year is being held one year ahead of schedule to avoid schedule conflicting with the Athens Paralympic Games. The change means that from this year on, the Chinese national games for the disabled will be staged one year before the Summer Paralympic Games.

"This gives us more time for pooling up talents and pre-games training for the Paralympics, especially for the Athens Games next year and the Beijing Games in 2008," said a CNPC official.

For the first time since the inaugural national games in 1984, the 6th Games is being hosted by a province, instead of being staged by a city as for the last five games.

And for the first time as well, the games ushered in a goodwill ambassador. Sun Yue, former captain of China's high-profile women's volleyball national team, has accepted an invitation by the organizers to be the first-ever ambassador. The Nanjing native has been a professional player in Italy since her retirement from the national team in 2001.

The games organizers have set Nanjing as the main venue, with two sub-venues in nearby cities of Yangzhou and Changzhou.

The nine-day competitions proper start on Wednesday.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Eastern Chinese Province to Host National Games for Disabled

China Sets to Put Brakes on Auto Industry ( 2 Messages)

Chinese Scientist Appeals for Checking Academic Corruption ( 2 Messages)

Think about the 2nd Anniversary of '9.11': Viewpoint ( 8 Messages)

High-tech Expo: Precious Chances for Investments ( 2 Messages)

Chinese Top Economists Denounce RMB Appreciation ( 2 Messages)