Paralympics dream sets out again, 32 Years Later

The opening ceremony of the Rio Paralympics on September 7 is approaching. For 32 years, the China Paralympics have grown on the world stage with the development of Chinese disabled athletes. They now hope to write a new chapter in the Paralympics held in South America for the first time, at Rio.

The Splendid history Looking back on the last 32-years and the past eight Paralympics, the China Delegation has grown from an eager beginning to the huge progress of recent years, with each step more stable and solid. In New York in 1984, the China Paralympics Delegation was young and inexperienced. Ping Yali, a girl from Beijing, jumped in the B2-level blind long jump and won China’s first Paralympics gold medal. That year, the Chinese Team ended the Paralympics journey with two golds. In Seoul four years later, the Chinese team ranked 14th with 17 gold medals and 41 medals. In Atlanta in 1996, it ranked among the top 10 for the first time – it had taken China only 12 years. The Athens Paralympics in 2004 were unforgettable; breakthroughs became the key word for the Chinese team. It topped the gold metal list for the first time with 63; this achievement remained a record in both the Beijing and London Paralympics. In 2012, China had its 300th gold medal in the history of the games when Zhao Xu won the 100-meter track event. China has now won the most gold medals and most medals overall at three consecutive Paralympics.

Strong Backup The huge progress made by China at the Paralympics is the result of the constant progress of the China disabled sports cause under the country’s social and economic development. Data from the China Disabled Persons’ Federation show that between 2011 and 2015 China held 75 domestic single games titles and 22 international ones; a winning tradition that continues every year. Tianjin organized the National Games and then the National Disabled Games & Paralympics, so that the Disabled Games are held in the same city with the National Games. For over five years, the disabled athletes of our country attended 189 international games and exchange activities such as the 2012 London Paralympics and the 2014 Inchon Asian Para Games. They have been awarded 1236 gold medals, winning honor for China and boosting external friendship and cooperation. With the backing of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, Party committees at all levels and related departments give strong support and close assistance. Through the relentless efforts of the disabled sports workers, sports for the disabled in the country have grown quickly. Their basic public sports service system has been primarily established; their sports brand activity has gained in size and their major games now have substantial 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 the Chinese Disabled Cause has been published and carried out, and an ‘Exercise Project of the Disabled’ has been implemented, which has greatly boosted the rapid development of disabled sports nationwide. 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, setting out steps to enhance the welfare of the disabled, boost their comprehensive development and jointly construct and share a comprehensive well-to-do society. The Bright Future 　 One month ago, in the 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 unhesitatingly. In the swimming pool, Li Guizhi, who has cultivated a good sense of direction in water, worked overtime to practice leg kick skills. On the neighboring basketball court, Long Yun took a shot from a wheelchair; the basketball made a pretty parabola right into the net. In various venues of about 240,000 square meters, heated training facilities can be seen here and there. The centers are filled with obstacle-free areas and the standard equipment supplied is appropriate for a preparation base of the China Delegation to the 2016 Paralympics. And Jiajun Tingxian, Li Guizhi and Long Yun are all members of the Delegation going to Rio. China’s 308 athletes will compete in 17 major and 328 minor games. It is the largest foreign Paralympics with the most athletes and the most events that China has ever been in. The athletes come from various sectors of Chinese society. It is a young team with an average age of 26. Forty-six percent of the athletes have a bachelor’s degree or above. It’s the team with the highest professionalism and the highest level of education. In Rio, they shoulder the task of being hardworking and making great achievements. But they must show their athletic spirit and attend the Games in a civilized manner, embodying a good attitude and enhancing friendship, expanding their influence and carrying forward the Paralympics spirit. ‘Our athletes will not let our 85 million disabled siblings down, but will make efforts to carry forward the sporting spirit of the disabled and show the good character of the disabled in our country to the world,” said Li Hanhua. The swimmer made the announcement at the establishment ceremony of the delegation on behalf of all the athletes. In Rio, they will win honor for their motherland and take disabled athletes into a new era.