The Paralympic Games begin in Beijing, with over 4,000 athletes from 150 nations competing for 472 gold medals over 11 days. China is hosting the Games for the first time and is expected to top the medal table, having dominated in Athens four years ago. Great Britain is also highly prepared and well funded, and should be China's greatest rival. ParalympicsGB has a proven track record of high finishes in recent Games. Chris Hoy predicts the British Paralympic cycling team could be as or more successful than the Olympic team, with several athletes performing at similar training levels to Hoy. He advises the athletes to enjoy the experience and remember all their hard work in preparation. Sebastian Coe discusses the integral role of the Paralympics

1. *** ***
***
II | *** SEPTEMBER 7 2008 | The Sunday Telegraph
SPORT PARALYMPICS
For all the latest news
T go to www.telegraph.co.uk/sport
WELCOME TO THE
PARALYMPICS
World ready to witness
triumphs of human spirit
GARETH A DAVIES More than 300 Chinese athletes, the Following the retirement of leading
country’s largest contingent in Games British figures, such as Dame Tanni
COMPETITION at the XIII Paralympic history, will compete in all 20 sports, Grey-Thompson, wheelchair basketball
Games, in Beijing, began in the early arguably without the same level of player Ade Adepitan, and powerlifter
hours of this morning. Over 11 days, expectation that their Olympic Emma Brown, there will be a need for
4,000 athletes from 150 nations will countrymen and women had faced from new stars in the lead-up to 2012.
compete to win 472 gold medals. government officials and the public. The British Paralympic Association
Since 1988, the Paralympic Games The team has prepared at the China and UK Sport are not totally agreed on
have been held in the same venues Disability Sports Training Centre in the number of medals they will win in
shortly after the Olympics, with an Beijing, the world’s largest sports Beijing. While UK Sport envisages
agreement signed in Sydney, in 2000, training site for people with a disability. 110 medals – 40 of them gold – Phil Lane,
that the organising committees for both It covers a total of 238,235 sq metres, chief executive of ParalympicsGB, thinks
Games in each host city would be legally and includes a multi-sports training “a realistic target is between 35 to 40
contracted. gymnasium, goalball hall, swimming gold medals, with 90medals overall”.
Hu Jintao, president of China, has pool, cycling track, two outdoor football A spokesman for UK Sport, said: “The
vowed to “deliver a high-standard fields and two archery ranges. There is Paralympic Games is a tough one for
Paralympic Games with distinctive another equally impressive centre in the the team. The Olympic games was
features”, with China’s motto being south of China. always going to be the United States
“Two Games, Equal Splendour”. President Hu has taken a special versus China. But with GB number two
Every nation competing in Beijing interest, having visited the team during in the world at the past two Paralympic
knows already that the hosts will head training in Beijing. China expects again. Games, we are China’s biggest threat.”
the final medals table at the end of The International Paralympic
competition on Sept 17. The Middle Committee is led by the Lancastrian, Sir
Kingdom’s team is huge, highly Philip Craven. He is a union man, and
prepared and very well funded. The Paralympics aims for athletes insists that the Games will “be run for
This year’s host nation dominated the athletes, by athletes”. The IPC, led by Sir
Games for the first time in Athens, four from all backgrounds to unite on a Philip, has captured what the Paralympic
years ago, with a final haul of 63 gold Movement aims to achieve: the means of
medals, after having been one of the single stage to inspire and excite enabling athletes from all backgrounds
Paralympic minnows in the past. to unite on a single stage, and inspiring
The Paralympic Games represent ParalympicsGB should be China’s and exciting the world with their
much more than simply an elite greatest rivals at the Games. They have a performances, of mind, body and spirit.
sporting event; they are part of a proven track record, having finished My first Paralympic Games was in
worldwide movement for heightening fourth or higher at the past five Games, Atlanta 1996. I witnessed Bin Hou, a
awareness that the word ‘disability’ is a and second in both Sydney in 2000 and high jumper from China, clearing
misnomer. Independence and strength, Athens in 2004. Lottery funding has 1.95metres. In his bounding approach
and the power of the human spirit, will increased from £14.8million between and leap, his feat was effortless and
be demonstrated over and over again 2000 and 2004, to £29.5million in the breathtaking, mirroring an Olympic
during these Games, by visually past four years. The cost of sending the jumper. The only difference was that it
impaired, wheelchair, amputee, cerebral team’s 206 athletes to China has was done with one leg.
palsy and Les Autres (dwarfs, multiple reached an additional £4million, with On any one day at these Games,
sclerosis) athletes. Never will the Games training camps in Hong Kong and Macau. such moments will grip you time and
have had a greater impact because an Team GB’s strongest athletes are in again. Over the next 11 days, the world
estimated 83 million disabled citizens swimming, sailing and cycling – sports will witness the triumphs of the
live in the host nation. they will rely heavily on for gold medals. human spirit.
If you have a taste Hoy backs Team GB
for gold, stand by to return as heroes
that phrase. The athletes RACHEL QUARRELL
I saw in 2004 and those
who are competing this CHRIS HOY, the triple
summer and in four years in Olympic track cycling
London almost demand a champion, returned from
re-definition of the word Beijing two weeks ago the
SEBASTIAN COE ‘disability’. biggest hero of Team GB,
Using the power of the having led the side’s
Games to inspire change is unprecedented medal charge.
THE Beijing Olympic Games one of the key pillars upon But, as he told The Sunday
are over. Our teams have which our bid for 2012 was Telegraph, he thinks the
returned – Team GB with a based and this is no more Paralympic team could do
glut of medals, the London evident than with the even better.
2012 team armed with a Paralympic Games. You look “We’re quite close to the
stack of details, anecdotes at Seoul in 1988 where a Paralympic cyclists – we all
and lessons to inform our whole nation’s attitude to train together like one big
planning for the world’s disability was transformed team,” Hoy said. “So, I reckon
biggest sporting event. and see what is possible. they’re going to be as
Time to draw breath? Not It is no coincidence that successful if not more so than
a bit – the world’s second London 2012 launches its the Olympic cycling team.
biggest sporting event, the education programme to “They’ve had all the help
Paralympic Games, open coincide with the handover we’ve had, coaching,
today and once again our of the Paralympic flag to technical support, physios,
teams will be there observing London. Being able to show everything, and I wouldn’t be
and learning. young people the surprised if they did better
For us, the Paralympic achievements of these than us.
Games are an integral part of extraordinary athletes is “There are a couple of guys
London 2012. When we went more than a valuable lesson in particular who do similar
to Singapore, we didn’t just – it’s potentially life training to me: Anthony
bid for the Olympic Games, changing. Kappes, in the tandem, who
we also bid for the So on the afternoon of has trained with two different
Paralympic Games. Warm Sept 17, at the closing pilots, John Norfolk and
words you might say, but you ceremony of the Paralympic Barney Storey. He does the
had your eyes on the main Games, the Paralympic flag same events as me, he’s really
prize, right? Absolutely not. will be passed to Boris impressive. The tandem can
The Paralympic Games are Johnson in the National go almost as quick as the top Chris Hoy: ‘The needs to get behind Olympic
part of our history. Stadium in Beijing. With it international solo sprinters, cyclists will be as and Paralympic sport, and the
Created at Stoke will be passed a unique really fast. Swimmer turned successful, if not powers that be need to keep
Mandeville Hospital, opportunity for London and cyclist Jody Cundy, top 10 in more so, than the investing. It’s not just about
Buckinghamshire, in 1948, the entire nation to embrace the able-bodied competition at Olympic team’ the next four years – let’s see
the Paralympic Games are the Paralympic movement. the National Championships more people getting involved
coming home in 2012 and Oh, and did I mention that – he’s really fast. in sport of all kinds. It’s a
are intrinsically part of our the ParalympicsGB team “If I had any advice for the great life if you work hard,
existence: those who work are very good? The athletes competing next and put a lot into it, and sport
planning for the Olympic achievements of Team GB week, it would be to try and has all kinds of life lessons.
Games also work on during the Olympic Games enjoy it for what it is, every “I hope the Paralympics
planning the Paralympic have been well documented moment, and not let the does get more coverage and
Games. We are the London and the plaudits well pressure and expectation recognition now and leading
Organising Committee of the deserved, but if you have a build up too much. And up to London 2012. These
Olympic Games and the taste for gold then stay tuned. remember all the hard work guys and girls train as hard
Paralympic Games. has already been done. I tried and put just as much into it
I went to my first to relax, and to let it flow. as the Olympic athletes. At the
Paralympic Games in 2004 “There will be some moment there are so many
in Athens. I admit I went amazing stories coming out negative things in the press,
with some pre-conceptions of the Paralympics, that’s the and about the recession. It’s
about what I might see and 2012: a unique great thing about them. Not good to have something
concerns that it was ‘after the just about their personal positive to get behind.
Lord Mayor’s show’. I was opportunity for success on the day, but about “As for me, I’m looking
blown away – as were the what they’ve all been through forward to getting back on a
pre-conceptions. So-called London and the to get there. There will be a bike and on the track in the
‘able-bodied’ people could number of new faces and next 10 days. It’s been
not hope to reach anywhere nation to embrace heroes coming back, from all brilliant but quite surreal the
near the athletic standards I kinds of sports. last fortnight, and I’m quite
saw, making a mockery of the Paralympics “I just think the public exhausted.”