"Milestone" Paralympics helps change perceptions (News Feature)

By Andreas Landwehr Sep 17, 2008, 9:49 GMT

Beijing - It was the biggest Paralympics in the 60-year history of sport for disabled athletes. As with the summer Games, Beijing has set a new benchmark which the London organizers in 2012 will find difficult to beat.

The venues, the first-class support for competitors and the record number of spectators have received much praise from among the more than 4,000 athletes who took part.

German cycling gold medallist Michael Teuber, who also competed in Athens four years ago, spoke of 'another dimension' for the Paralympics and a 'milestone' for disabled sport, with support and provisions for competitors second to none.

Of course, the Paralympics was another opportunity after the Olympic Games for the communist leadership to polish China's image in the world.

The hosts also did considerably better than expected in sporting terms, heading the medals table with double as many golds as Britain in second place.

The massive investment in sport for the disabled has paid off. Yet as the Paralympic flame was extinguished on Wednesday at the end of 10 days of competition, the question remains: what has the event meant in general to people with disabilities?

China has around 83 million disabled people, yet they are barely visible in every day life, with many afraid to leave their front doors. There is not only a lack of access to public facilities for handicapped people, but also still a lack of acceptance in society.

Teacher Hai Ying, attending a match for blind footballers, said: 'For the Chinese, the disabled are often not thought of as normal people. We treat them with sympathy but not as equals.'

She has been impressed with their sporting prowess.

'In my family we have strongly changed our view of the disabled while watching the events on television,' she said.

'At the beginning we thought how awful it was to let these poor people compete. But we soon realized they did not want our pity but wanted to achieve something and be treated normally.'

Maybe, she said, the Paralympics will have helped to change people's perception of the disabled.

It's a view shared by others.

'If the Olympics made the world understand China better, the Paralympics made the Chinese understand the fighting quality of the physically challenged better,' the China Daily wrote.

Yet there is still scepticism and doubts that the Paralympics will lead to any real changes for disabled people in the country. As a developing country, China still has a long way to go in improving general services and facilities for the handicapped.

Cao Limin, deputy director of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, admits China is in the 'help phase' but has not yet been able to create the environment 'to enable the disabled to take part in social life and contribute to society.'

For 39-year-old German cycling champion Teuber, who has been a paraplegic since a car crash at 19, sport is 'an aid to life.'

With the help of some remaining muscle activity in the thighs and a special orthosis he managed to become a professional athlete. Competitive sport helps disabled athletes receive great recognition, and the Paralympics can help lead to a more general acceptance of disabled people, he said.

If disabled people can also be recognised as having abilities it can lead to 'more normality.' And that, says Teuber 'is already a very big signal to society in the world.'