Dream Sets Out Again 32 Years Later, Paralympics Legion Expects to Reach A New High

The opening ceremony of Rio Paralympics on September 7 is approaching. For the 32 years, China Paralympics Legion that has gradually stood on the center of the world stage with the development of Chinese disabled cause is to show up in Rio, hoping to write a new chapter in the Paralympic held in South America for the first time. The Splendid history

Looking back on the 32-year course and in the past eight paralympics, China Delegation has growth from the fresh premiere to the huge progress in recent several years and the steps become more stable and solid. In New York in 1984, China Paralympics Delegation became young and inexperienced. Ping Yali, a girl from Beijing jumped in the B2-level blind long jump and thus got the first gold medal for China Delegation on the Paralympics. Finally, Chinese Team ended the Paralympics journey with two golds. 　In Seoul Paralympics four years later, Chinese team ranked the 14th with 17 gold medals and 41 medals. In Atlanta in 1996, it ranked among top 10 for the first time, which took Chinese region for 12 years. 　 The Athens in 2004 was unforgettable; breakthrough became the key word of Chinese Legion. It topped on the gold metal list of the Paralympics for the first time with 63 gold medals; this achievement lasted in Beijing Paralympics and the last London Paralympics. In 2012, the Paralympics warriors created the best achievement in the foreign games; Zhao Xu won the 300th gold medal of T46-level 100-meter running in the Chinese Paralympics history. China Delegation has also won the first place of gold medal and the number of medals on the Paralympics for three consecutive times. Strong Backup The huge progress made by China on Paralympics is the epitome of the constant progress of China disabled sports cause under the social and economic development.

Data of China Disabled Persons’ Federation show that between 2011 and 2015, our country has held 75 national single games and 22 international games; our country also keeps holding the single games for the disabled every year. Tianjin organizes the National Games and then organizes National Disabled Games&Paralympics, realizing that the Disabled Games is held in the same city with the National Games. For over 5 years, the disabled athletes of our country has attended 189 international games and exchange activities such as 2012 London Paralympics and 2014 Inchon Asian Para Games and has won 1236 gold medals, wining honor for our country and boosting the external exchange and cooperation. 　 With the active boost of China Disabled Persons’ Federation, the Party committee governments of all levels give strong support and related departments give close assistance. Through the relentless efforts of the disabled sports workers, the sports work of the disabled has gained quicker development. The basic public sports service system for the disabled has been primarily established; the sports brand activity of the disabled has gained the scale and the major games of the disabled has profound impact. The Central Party and the State Council attach great importance to the sports work of the disabled. ‘The 12th Five-Year Plan’ Development Program of Chinese Disabled Cause has been published and carried out, ‘Exercise Project of the Disabled’ has been implemented, which has greatly boosted the rapid development of the disabled sports cause in our country. In 2016, the State Council printed and issued ‘The 13th Five-Year Plan’ Planning Program of Speeding up the Well-to-do Process of the Disabled, making deployment to enhance the welfare of the disabled, boost the comprehensive development of the disabled and jointly construct and share the comprehensive well-to-do society. The Bright Future One month ago, in China Disabled Sports Management Center located in Shunyi, Beijing, Jiajun Tingxian on the runway judged the location of the coach’s applause in the darkness and jumped into the sandpit steadily. In the swimming pool, Li Guizhi, who has cultivated a good sense of direction in water, still worked overtime to practice the leg kick skills. On the neighboring basketball court, Long Yun on the wheelchair made a shoot; the basketball was perfectly thrown into the net with a pretty parabola in the sky.

In various venues with the area of around 240,000 square meters, the heated training scenes can be seen here and there. The center filled with obstacle-free facilities and the standard equipment for the professional sports training games is one of the multiple preparation bases for China Delegation in this Paralympics. And Jiajun Tingxian, Li Guizhi and Long Yun are all the members of the Delegation which goes to Rio this time.

The 308 athletes of China Region will attend 17 major and 328 minor games. It is the foreign Paralympics with the most athletes, the most games items and the largest scale for China. The athletes come from various industries of the society. It is a young team with the average age of 26 years old. Athletes with the associate degree and above take up 46%. It is the team with the highest professionalism and the highest education degree. In Rio, they shoulder the task of being hardworking and making great achievements. But meanwhile, they should show their athletic spirits, attend the Games in a civilized manner, embody their good appearances and enhance friendship, expand the influence and carry forward the Paralympics spirits. ‘Our athletes will not let our 85 million disabled siblings down, make efforts to carry forward the sports spirits of the disabled and show the good images and charm of the disabled in our country to the world’, Li Hanhua, the swimming athlete made the announcement on the establishing ceremony of the Delegation on behalf of all the athletes. In Rio, they will win honor for our motherland and write a new high of their life with the image of the disabled athlete in the new era.