Beijing, 13 Mar (Xinhua) -- At the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, when Li Duan put the torch into the "big snowflakes," the audience burst into warm applause. In this "longest minute", the torchbearer's several attempts were heart-wrenching, the encouragement of the audience was moving, and the success after groping was joyful, so that the global audience received a "spiritual baptism".
On the evening of March 4, at the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games, the last torchbearer, Li Duan, embedded the torch in the center of the "big snowflake". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ga
"The Longest Minute" is a microcosm of this ice and snow event. On the 13th, the torch of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games will be extinguished. Over the past 10 days, the temperature of this ice and snow event will encourage more disabled people to live together in the sun, and the courage and determination shown by winter Paralympic athletes will also inspire the world to "move forward together".
In this Winter Paralympic Games, stories of courage and perseverance explain the heat of life. The Olympic column of the National Broadcasting Corporation introduced the mascot of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, "Snow Rongrong", believing that "Snow Rongrong" symbolizes the courage and perseverance of disabled athletes.
On March 4, "Snow Rongrong" accompanied the Chinese delegation to the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wu Hui
Japanese alpine skier Noriko Kamiyama developed paralysis symptoms at the age of 24, underwent cancer surgery at the age of 42, but came to China at the age of 49 to stage her "debut" in the Winter Paralympic Games; Canadian cross-country skier Brian McIver is the "Elder of the Six Dynasties" of the Winter Paralympic Games, and he equaled the "16 gold best" record of the first man in the history of the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing, German alpine skier Gerd Schönfeld... The participation of people with disabilities in competitive sports is their way of breaking through themselves and challenging their destiny.
For people with disabilities, the spirit of courage to participate is precious, and the significance of standing on the field is far greater than the success or failure of competition. In the 1950s, Gutmann, the "father of the Paralympic Games", put forward the concept of "sports as an important means of rehabilitation", sowing the seeds of the Paralympic movement. Today, people with disabilities make the flower of life more beautiful by participating in sports.
This is a statue of Doctor Gutman, the "Father of the Paralympic Games", photographed outside Stoke Mandeville Hospital on Feb. 24. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying
In this Winter Paralympic Games, stories of integration and transformation show the temperature of care. The development of sports for the disabled reflects the temperature of China's social development and highlights the progress of Chinese rights protection. According to the white paper "Development and Protection of The Sports Cause and Rights Protection of Disabled Persons in China" released before the opening of the Winter Paralympic Games, as of 2020, a total of 10,675 fitness demonstration sites for the disabled have been built nationwide, a total of 125,000 social sports instructors for the disabled have been trained and developed, and 434,000 severely disabled households have been provided with services such as rehabilitation sports into the family.
Love is a two-way street. The development of society has made people with disabilities receive more attention and care, created a better barrier-free environment, and encouraged them to actively integrate into society and give back to society. The multiple blows of fate once brought the life of Yan Gong, a young man of the Wa ethnic group in Yunnan, to the bottom, and now standing on the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, he said that skiing made him more confident and brave, "It is you who let me regain the hope of life and be the best version of myself."
From 2015 to 2021, the participation rate of cultural and sports activities in The community for the disabled in China increased from 6.8% to 23.9%, and the number of athletes in the Winter Paralympic Games grew from less than 50 to nearly 1,000. DeXin said the progress made by the Chinese delegation at the Beijing Winter Paralympics was astounding. Eliaana Rodríguez, an IPC accessibility expert, praised: "Making people with disabilities more proactive in their integration into society has undoubtedly set a benchmark for hosts of the next Winter Paralympic Games." ”
In this Winter Paralympic Games, stories about helping each other convey the charm of family, friendship and love. Why do Winter Paralympic athletes move and inspire the world? Agence France-Presse reported that the Simpson brothers, who won the first gold for the United Kingdom, although the younger brother won the championship, but the brother as a skater "made great contributions", this simple and precious family affection touched the world; the "couple standard-bearers" of the Dutch delegation at the opening ceremony, their love of mutual support and mutual learning made the world envious; Reuters reported that the American snowboarder Mike Schultz was widely welcomed by other athletes for his sports prosthetic equipment developed, highlighting the friendship of the disabled. From Mandeville, England, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, to Beijing, China, the Games for the Disabled are no longer just a stage for disabled athletes, their self-confidence, self-improvement and self-reliance spirit not only encourages more disabled people to regain their love of life, but also encourages able-bodied people to have the courage to fight and never give up.
On March 12, China's Zhang Mingliang, Yan Zhuo, Chen Jianxin and Wang Haitao (from left to right) celebrated victory after winning the wheelchair curling competition at the Beijing Winter Paralympics. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Hu Xingyu)
In the beijing Winter Paralympic Games, there must be some moments that will touch the hearts of the world. Yan Zhuo, a Chinese wheelchair curler, said: "I want to tell others that if I can, you can too. "People with disabilities and able-bodied people have a relentless pursuit and yearning for a better life and a more inclusive world. At a time when the COVID-19 epidemic is still severe, the economic recovery is full of challenges, and the international situation is complex and changeable, the holding of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games has injected confidence and strength into the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind in difficult times, and has provided a vivid footnote for promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Source: Xinhua News Agency