Parasports Facts and Figures

Disabled-friendly sports venues in China

Trained instructors

Households with severely disabled people provided with home-based rehabilitation and fitness services

In 2 sports

In 6 events

Winter Paralympic athletes in China

Technical officials

Persons’ Federation (CDPF), said.

If Beijing had not won its bid to host the Winter Paralympics, Yan Wendi, an athlete from the tropical part of Yunnan Province in China’s warm southwest, would never have considered partaking in ice and snow sports. Yan has an artificial left leg. His disability used to make him feel inferior, but snowboarding has helped him regain his self-confidence, Yan told Beijing-based China Times.

This year, the Chinese para athletes come from 12 provincial-level regions, with a little over one third from Hebei Province, according to Yong.

Hebei selected 105 athletes to receive training specially aimed at the Paralympics and 34 of them, including Zhang and Ji, qualified for the 2022 Games, Yang Qifeng, Vice Chairman of the Hebei Provincial Disabled Persons’ Federation, said at a press conference on February 20.

As part of efforts to implement the national initiative to attract 300 million people to winter sports in the lead-up to the Beijing 2022 Games, Hebei has engaged more than 500,000 people with disabilities in ice and snow activities over the past six years, according to Yang. In the process, the province has created fitness facilities and trained more than 6,000 fitness instructors for the group.

A program to promote winter parasports in schools has also been rolled out, involving more than 300 teachers. The authorities distributed floor curling equipment and roller skates to participating schools and established competitions.

“Developing parasports plays a vital role in encouraging people with disabilities to build self-esteem, confidence, independence and strength, as well as pursue selfimprovement,” states a white paper titled China’s Parasports: Progress and the Protection of Rights, released by the State Council Information Office on March 3.

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