Serge Jorgensen, president of the International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS), heaped praise on the successful organization of 2008 IFDS Qingdao International Regatta held from May 8 to15, and gave a thumb's up to the barrier-free environment of the sailing center in Qingdao.

"The venue is absolutely fantastic. It is probably the best sailing base in the world," Jorgensen said.

Jorgensen highlighted the convenience brought by the barrier-free facilities in line with the international standards.

"I am very impressed with center facilities. They are amazing. Everyone can use them easily."

Bearing the "people's Olympics" in mind, the city government has undertaken wide ranging work to build a barrier-free environment.

Obstacle-free lifts and slopes and passages wider than 1.2 m have ensured physically challenged sailors an easy access to various functional buildings - the Administration Center, the Athlete Center, the Media Center, the Reception Center, the Olympic Village and competition sites.

Phone booths, wash rooms and dressing rooms have been rebuilt to meet the needs of physically challenged people.

On the competition sites, three 60-m-long barrier-free pontoons fenced with wood edges and six suspension devices were specially outfitted for the regatta to help disabled sailors safely board their boats.

Besides the convenience in the center, Jorgensen also noted the cultural elements of the event.

"Everything, from colors to such simple things as banners which read 'Transcendence, Equality, Integration', reflects a combination of Chinese culture with the Olympic spirit," he said.

"Volunteers are friendly. They are an important part of the event. Without them, our competition could not go smoothly," he noted.

Foreign athletes echoed Jorgensen's opinion. "Volunteers here are considerate and warm-hearted. Their performance is impressive," said Carl-Gustaf Fresk, a SKUD18 sailor from Sweden.

All volunteers working at the regatta received professional training including skills in operating facilities and good manners.

As a prelude to the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition, which will take place at the same venue in September, the regatta provided a good opportunity to test facilities and conditions of the venue for the Paralympic event, Jorgensen said.

Jorgensen summed up the highlights of the upcoming 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition in an exclusive interview, saying "there will be a lot of firsts here".

"All three sailing sports will take place for the first time in Paralympic history while in the past we only had two of them," he said.

In addition, "we will have the most athletes participating this session," he said.

Previous Paralympic sailing competitions only saw two sports - one-person and three -person keelboats. A new event boat known as SKUD 18 will be added for the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition.

(China Daily May 16, 2008)