China aim higher in Athens Paralympic Games
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-09-09 08:30

Chinese athletes aim to do better in the upcoming 12th Paralympic Summer Games than what they have achieved in previous events, a senior official of the China Paralympic Committee said in Beijing on September 8.

"We are determined to retain the 6th place in gold medal tally and will strive to be No. 5, with the total number of gold medals and all medals exceeding what we got at last Games," said Zhao Sujing, executive deputy secretary-general of the committee.

She noted that the 287-strong Chinese delegation, the largest since China first participated in the Paralympic Games, is going to focus on athletics, swimming, table tennis and powerlifting in the contest for gold medals.

The delegation will also join competitions in other seven sports, namely shooting, judo, cycling, wheelchair fencing, archery, wheelchair tennis and sitting volleyball. Compared with the last Paralympics in Sydney, China will participate in five more sports and 125 more events in Athens Paralympics, which will be held between September 17 and 28.

"It's notable that 80.5 percent of our athletes will make theirParalympic debuts in Athens. That is 161 out of the total 200 athletes," noted Zhao, who is also the secretary-general of the Chinese Paralympic delegation.

That arrangement is meant to foster a younger generation of excellent athletes preparing for the next Paralympic Summer Games to be held four years later in Beijing, she explained.

Inspired by the great success of Chinese athletes in the recentAthens Olympiad, Chinese athletes with disabilities are thrilled to compete and excel in the upcoming event. All members of the Chinese delegations have gathered in Beijing and will leave for Athens on Friday.

At Athens, more than 4,000 athletes from over 140 countries andregions will compete in 19 sports featuring a total of 526 events.

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