LASTING LEGACY
A year on from the Beijing Winter Paralympics, the Games’ impact continues to reverberate
Ayear since the opening of the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, the legacy of the Games continues to be felt as more and more people with disabilities embrace the fun of ice and snow sports.
To mark the one-year anniversary of the Games, the National Ice and Snow Sports Season for People with Disabilities kicked off in early February, with a series of winter para sports activities staged across the nation.
A total of 800 persons with disabilities and volunteers participated in one event in Beijing, enjoying curling and various other recreational ice and snow activities. Wheelchair curler Chen Jianxin was among the Beijing 2022 Paralympic champions who took part in the event.
“We want to inspire more people with disabilities to embrace ice and snow sports, and we want to lead by example,” said Chen.
“We hope more people with disabilities can have greater engagement with society, and winter sports can be a very good conduit for that. The excitement of winter sports offers an extra dimension to their lives.”
Inspiring feats
Zhang Haidi, president of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, also participated in the Beijing celebration, meeting with Chinese Paralympic athletes, participants with disabilities, and volunteers.
“We hope to encourage our friends with disabilities to be more active and to find their passion for life — participating in winter para sports is a great way to do this,” said Zhang.
“And while our winter Paralympians keep leveling up their professional skills, we hope they can also encourage and inspire more people with disabilities to enjoy a more active lifestyle.”
In Gansu province, winter para sports activities were held in a number of cities, including Lanzhou, Zhangye and Jiuquan. Among the events staged was a curling competition at a special school in Lanzhou. Various competition categories were organized for students with hearing, visual and limb disabilities, while related experience activities were open to all who were interested at the school.
“I’m so happy that such themed ice and snow activities could come to our school,” said student He Wen. “These sports motivate us and give us a chance to showcase our athletic ability.”
In the city of Wuwei, a total of 200 people with disabilities participated in a themed ice and snow sports activity on Feb 15, which was designed to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Beijing Winter Paralympics.
Participants had the chance to experience winter para sports as well as recreational ice and snow activities.*
In Zoucheng, Shandong province, 300 students with disabilities participated in a themed activity, as part of the ice and snow season on Feb 11, with skiing, curling and more novel activities such as soccer on snow organized.
“We can teach our students with disabilities certain life and work skills. However, their interactions in wider society can sometimes still be limited and it’s not easy for them to maintain a social life,” said Wang Fangfang, a schoolteacher who attended the event.
“But participating in winter sports can be a very good way for them to communicate more and earn a sense of achievement.”
Multiple gains
Team China made major breakthroughs at the Beijing Winter Paralympics by topping the medal table with 18 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze medals. That was China’s best-ever haul at any Winter Paralympics. In addition, the Games’ superb organization and lasting legacies garnered high praise from the International Paralympic Committee and global communities.
In early February, an official postGames legacy report on Beijing 2022 was published.
The report concluded that, aside from boosting people’s participation in winter sports, the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games greatly enhanced the development of host cities, created job opportunities and facilitated the growth of programs that support people with disabilities in China.