By Zhang Yunxing
China.org.cn?staff reporter

The Chinese Paralympic Delegation comprises 547 members, of whom 197 are male athletes and 135 female, and will compete in all the 20 sports and 295 of the 472 events in total at the Paralympics Games, said Zhao Sujing, spokeswoman and secretary-general of the Delegation.?

The Chinese Paralympic Delegation enters the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in China's National Stadium, Sept. 6, 2008.?[Zhang Yunxing/China.org.cn]

The average age of the delegation is just under 26. They are all amateurs, including civil servants, students and farmers etc. The goal of the delegation is to "achieve a level of success commensurate with the status of a host country," Zhao said.

According to Zhao, the delegation is the largest-ever since China first participated in the Paralympics Games in 1984. It is also the largest delegation in this year's Beijing Paralympics Games.

Members of the delegation come from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. 226 athletes are participating in the Games for the first time – 68 percent of the total number of athletes.

During the Athens Paralympics in 2004, the Chinese Delegation topped both the gold medal tally and the overall medal tally. But there is still a gap between China and the developed countries in terms of level of attainment, training standards, equipment, competition infrastructure, and scientific research. So it will be a challenge for China to make further significant progress at this year's Games, according to Zhao.

The Chinese Delegation did achieve a historical breakthrough at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games that ended last week, topping the gold medal tally. Zhao said that the Chinese Delegation's achievements at the Olympic Games will not put pressure on Chinese Paralympians. China will expect to maintain its leadership in competitions like Athletics, Swimming, Table Tennis and Weightlifting, while at the same time eyeing further medals in competitions like Judo, Wheelchair Fencing, Cycling and Shooting.

(China.org.cn September 8, 2008)