Paralympic preparations updated

(BEIJING, May 14) -- More than 4,000 athletes from 150 countries and regions will take part in the Beijing Paralympic Games which will open on September 6. This is 12 days after the Olympics are over, according to Tang Xioaquan, executive vice-president of BOCOG.

They will be joined by 2,500 coaches and technical officials, in addition to some 4,000 journalists, photographers, and broadcasters, Tang said at a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center on Wednesday.

Preparations are in full swing to make the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics equally splendid, as the two events are hosted by the same organizing committee, the first time in the history of the Olympic Games. Of the 20 Paralympic sports, 18 will be held in six venues in Beijing while Qingdao and Hong Kong will be home to the venues for the Paralympic sailing and equestrian events.

All of the venues are in place and were tested through "Good Luck Beijing" sports events. Considering the standards of accessibility in China and the post-Games use of the venues, accessible passages, restrooms, seats, and other facilities meet the needs of Paralympic athletes, members of the Paralympic Family, and the media. In addition, information access will be made available for athletes, officials, and spectators during the Olympics and Paralympics.

As far as the organization of the Paralympic competitions is concerned, Tang said that BOCOG has held 26 workshop sessions for 18 Paralympic sports with 1,702 Chinese technical officials. BOCOG will pick 637 of them to serve in the competitions. The competition schedule has been confirmed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and registration policies have been mapped. Of the 4,000 athletes, 763 are visually impaired; 1,828 are wheelchair users; and 876 are limb-impaired who do not use wheelchairs. Last September and this January saw goalball and wheelchair basketball pre-Olympic events respectively. Other pre-Games Paralympic events will be held in late May.

The international sports organizations are in charge of the Paralympic classification. Currently BOCOG has made policies and procedures available, with initial training conducted for related staff members, Tang said.

BOCOG partnered up with the Paralympic headquarters hotel and 18 other designated hotels. Five domestic companies and some organizations in charge of non-competition venues have been selected through bidding to provide Paralympic catering. The Paralympic hospital has been designated and a handbook of medical services has been drawn up.

Turning to the work with volunteers, Tang said about 36,000 volunteers will be needed. Of the 1.12 million registered applicants, 900,000 are willing to serve both for the Olympics and Paralympics. At present, Paralympic volunteer selection and testing have been completed. They will be trained at 32 sites to gain necessary service skills and awareness through interaction with Paralympic athletes.

The official also briefed the media on Paralympic marketing and ticketing. She said BOCOG has signed up with 14 Paralympic partners, 10 sponsors, and three exclusive suppliers. More than 100 licensed products, including garments, pins, toys, stationery, and stamps, have been put on the market. Sales of the tickets for opening and closing ceremonies began in December last year and competition tickets will be put on sale in the near future, Tang added.