SCIO press conference on 'China's Parasports: Progress and the Protection of Rights' white paper
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 11, 2022
Thecover.cn:
Why should we vigorously develop parasports, and what is the significance and value of doing so? Thank you.
Wang Meimei:
Thank you for your question. First of all, sports are an important way for disabled people to keep fit. Physical activities can promote the healthy development of the body's movement, nerves, circulation, respiration, and digestion, as well as the endocrine, immunity, urinary, and other systems, and make our bodies stronger. By participating in various forms of sports activities, disabled people can also enhance their physical fitness, improve their physical functions, and facilitate their physical and mental health. Therefore, we have adopted various measures to encourage disabled people to actively participate in public sports and competitive sports.
Secondly, sports are an important means to promote the rehabilitation of the disabled. According to the national standard of "Classification and Grading Criteria of Disability,” Persons with disabilities in China include those who have visual, auditory, speech, physical, intellectual, or mental impairments, as well as those with multiple disabilities, while each type of disability is divided into four levels based on the degree of disability. Disabled persons with different types and degrees of disabilities suffer from corresponding physical and mental impairments. Through different rehabilitation methods, the functional impairments may be alleviated or even eliminated, and sports are an effective means of rehabilitation. Through targeted sports activities, the disabled people can build up fitness, enhance capacity to self-support, and improve the quality of life.
Third, sports are an important path for persons with disabilities to
integrate into society. By participating in sports, people with disabilities are encouraged to go out, pursue interests and hobbies, increase their social contact, and enrich their lives. The public is also able to have a better understanding of people with disabilities through their participation and demonstration in sports activities. Assisting persons with disabilities to integrate better into society is an important symbol of the progress of social civilization, and is also a significant goal of the cause of the people with disabilities.
Fourth, sports are an important part of human rights protection for persons with disabilities. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities explicitly requires the signatories to take appropriate measures in order to encourage and promote the participation of persons with disabilities in various sports activities. The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities and other laws and regulations contain specific provisions to ensure persons with disabilities can participate in sports activities. Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities in sports is an essential requirement for fulfilling the obligations of the UN's Convention and implementing the provisions of Chinese laws and regulations. And it is also a concrete manifestation of China's protection of human rights. Therefore, we should encourage persons with disabilities to fully participate in sports activities, continuously develop their potential, show a spirit of self-improvement and an optimistic and enterprising spirit, and demonstrate the basic freedom, dignity, value, and power of mankind.
In practice, especially after the majority of persons with disabilities have achieved poverty alleviation and prosperity, they have a stronger demand for cultural life, including sports activities. Participation in sports has become an indispensable part of a better life for persons with disabilities, and more have been enjoying the joy brought by sports.
Thank you.
Southern Metropolitan Daily:
We were deeply impressed by the extraordinary results of Chinese athletes at the Summer Paralympics in Tokyo last year. Could you brief us a little about what outstanding achievements China has made in the field of competitive sports for persons with disabilities? Thank you.
Wang Meimei:
Thank you for your question. I'll answer this. We all know that the Chinese parasports athletes have given outstanding performances at major international sporting events. In 1984, the Chinese Paralympic delegation made its debut at the Seventh Summer Paralympic in New York, USA, for the first time, and they won their first ever Paralympic gold medal. Since then, there has been an upsurge of enthusiasm for sports among people with disabilities, and at the following Summer Paralympics, Team China's performance showed a marked improvement. In 2004, at the Summer Paralympics in Athens, the Chinese delegation ranked first in both medals and golds won. In 2021, at the Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Team China topped both the gold medal tally and the overall medal standings for the fifth consecutive time. At the same time, since 1987, Chinese athletes with intellectual disabilities have participated in nine Special Olympics World Summer Games and seven Special Olympics World Winter Games. In 1989, Chinese deaf athletes made their international debut at the 16th World Games for the Deaf. Meanwhile, Team China performed very well in the Asian Para Games. During the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), China sent delegations of parasports athletes to participate in 160 international sporting events and won a total of 1,114 gold medals.
National sports events are also wonderful. Since China organized its first National Games for Persons with Disabilities (NGPD) in 1984, 11 such events have been held, with the number of sports increasing from three – Athletics, Swimming and Table Tennis – to 34. Since the third games in 1992, the NGPD has been listed as a large-scale sporting event ratified by the State Council and held once every four years. This confirms the institutionalization and standardization of parasports in China. In 2019, Tianjin hosted the 10th NGPD (together with the Seventh National Special Olympic Games) and the National Games of China. This made the city the first to host both the NGPD and the National Games of China. In 2021, Shaanxi hosted the 11th NGPD (together with the Eighth National Special Olympic Games) and the National Games of China. It was the first time that the NGPD had been held in the same city and during the same year as the National Games of China. This allowed synchronized planning and implementation and both games were equally successful.
Para-athletes train hard, challenge the limits, forge ahead, and have the courage to win – the keys to achieving extraordinary results. In the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Summer Games, Team China won 96 gold medals, 60 silver medals, 51 bronze medals, and broke 29 world records. This not only represents outstanding performance but also the Chinese spirit displayed by Team China in the international arena. This spirit is the noble spirit of patriotism, unyielding national spirit, the collective spirit of unity, and the spirit of optimism. It is a source of strength and spiritual support for our athletes and coaches to overcome their difficulties.
China's achievements in competitive sports for persons with disabilities are the result of the dedication of many unsung heroes. The decades of perseverance and hard work of several generations of sports workers for persons with disabilities in China have laid the foundation for the great development of these sports. Among these workers, there are coaches, research teams, and staff, of high professional level, and full of love and selfless dedication. And there are also the para-athletes guides and other assistants who have accompanied the para-athletes all year around. These people are the unsung heroes behind our outstanding results. They have helped para-athletes in their training and competitions, grown with them, and ensured that every athlete is in the best condition to achieve the best result in competition.
China's sports cause for persons with disabilities has been developed in the course of opening up. We would like to express our honest thanks to our international counterparts for their sincere help.
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