CCTV News (Focus Interview): On the evening of March 13, the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games was held at the "Bird's Nest" of the National Stadium, and at this point, the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were successfully concluded. In the past month or so, athletes from all over the world have gathered here, bravely fighting, breaking through the limits, surpassing themselves, sending warmth, unity and confidence to the world with sincerity and smiles, and marking a new history for the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. Two Olympics, equally wonderful. With dreams as horses, we move towards the future together. Just like the phonograph at the closing ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games, what is retained is the sparkling moments on the field, and it is also an inspiring story outside the arena.
In the song, the phonograph of time constantly replays the beautiful moments of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, and these memories are like fireworks that illuminate the night sky of Beijing, blooming in everyone's heart.
On March 12, in the final wheelchair curling of the Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese wheelchair curling team defeated Sweden 8:3 and successfully defended the gold medal. This gold medal has a special significance for the Chinese team. Four years ago, the Chinese wheelchair curling team won the first gold medal in the history of China's participation in the Winter Paralympic Games in Pyeongchang, achieving a breakthrough of zero gold medals, and that was the only medal in China at the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympic Games.
In this Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation won 18 gold, 20 silver and 23 bronze medals, with a total of 61 medals, ranking first in the gold medal table and medal table. From 1 medal at the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympic Games to 61 medals today, The Chinese Winter Paralympic Movement has achieved leapfrog development while making a breakthrough in an all-round way.
In addition to the two ice events, curling and ice hockey both reached the podium, and the Chinese delegation also blossomed in the snow event, with gold medals in all four major events. It is worth mentioning that the average age of the Chinese delegation is 25 years old, and 85 of the 96 athletes are participating in the Winter Paralympic Games for the first time, and many of them have won medals in their first participation.
Zhang Haidi, head of the Chinese sports delegation at the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, said: "They are not afraid of suffering, tiredness and cold. Some athletes have never been exposed to ice and snow sports in the past, and in a short period of time they have become brave warriors who can compete in the Winter Paralympic Games, and I am proud of all the athletes in the Chinese Winter Paralympic team. ”
This is the sixth time that China has participated in the Winter Paralympic Games. In Salt Lake City in 2002, when the Chinese delegation participated in the First Winter Paralympic Games, only 4 people were sent to participate in two major events and 8 small events; four years ago in Pyeongchang, China only had 26 participants, participating in 5 major events and 30 small events. At the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation sent a total of 96 athletes to participate in 73 of all 6 major events, and only 5 minor events did not participate. The geometric increase in the number of participants and projects reflects the great efforts made by the mainland in recent years to promote the development of ice and snow sports for the disabled.
In 2015, China successfully bid to host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Since the second year, the China Disabled Persons' Federation has held ice and snow sports seasons for the disabled in different provinces every year, and the number of participating provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities has increased from the initial 14 to 31 now, and the number of direct participants has grown from 10,000 at the beginning to more than 300,000, which has laid a good mass foundation for the majority of disabled people on the mainland to participate in ice and snow sports. In addition, at the professional level, relying on the progress of science and technology and comprehensive strength, the national team actively introduces advanced international training methods and coaching teams, so that the ice and snow sports for the disabled in the mainland can achieve rapid development in a short period of time.
At this Winter Paralympic Games, 20-year-old Zhang Mengqiu was one of the most watched athletes. She won medals in all 5 events she participated in. 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals, Zhang Mengqiu has also been called "medal winner" by the media. Zhang Mengqiu, who suffered from motor dysfunction due to children with cerebral palsy, was selected by the Hebei Provincial Disabled Persons' Federation in 2016, and she had never even heard of alpine skiing at that time.
The road to pursuing her dreams is extremely difficult, but this girl is full of optimism. At the five award ceremonies she attended at this Winter Paralympic Games, she used five different hairstyles to show the love of life and the spirit of self-improvement and brave pursuit of dreams of Chinese disabled athletes in the new era.
Competitive sports performance is important, but for athletes with disabilities, the moment they stand on the field, it is already a victory.
Zhang Haiyuan, 44, was the oldest athlete in the Chinese delegation at the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games and a summer Paralympic champion. Eighteen years ago, at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, 27-year-old Zhang Haiyuan won the women's long jump F42 class with a time of 3.67 meters and broke the world record.
In 2016, Zhang Haiyuan switched to alpine skiing. She finished sixth in the Women's Big Slalom Sit at the Winter Paralympic Winter Games. In the women's slalom sitting match, she fell after setting off and ultimately failed to finish the race. Although he did not realize his wish to be on the podium in the Double Paralympic Games, Zhang Haiyuan has written his own legend.
Zhang Haiyuan said: "I think everyone's goal is endless, to have the courage to surpass themselves, break the convention, face all the things you have to face, bravely look forward, I think this is what I pursue." ”
Face it bravely and surpass yourself. For China, which has 85 million disabled people, it is more important than the results of the competition to promote the overall development of ice and snow sports for the disabled through the opportunity of hosting the Winter Paralympic Games, so that more disabled people can see that they can fight like able-bodied people.
At the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, there are not only many stories of disabled athletes working hard to make people move, but also reflect the respect and care for people with disabilities everywhere.
After the conclusion of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 20, it took only a few days for each competition venue to complete the transformation of barrier-free facilities, from the addition of anti-slip facilities inside and outside the venues, the elimination of subtle height differences, to the installation of barrier-free seats and handrails, from the barrier-free facilities of athletes' residences, to the table and chair placement of athletes' restaurants, Braille menus, every detail reflects the thoughtfulness of the organizing committee and has also been praised by delegations from all over the world.
Thoughtful details reflect the concept of "accessibility". The Winter Paralympic Games give people with disabilities a stage to show themselves in front of the world, and they also give the world a more opportunity to understand and listen to the difficulties of people with disabilities, and promote the whole society to give them more attention and care.
After the successful bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2015, Beijing rectified more than 300,000 points and added barrier-free facilities in many public places, so that people with disabilities can enjoy a more convenient daily life. The Winter Paralympic Games are like a seed that will continue to pass on the care for people with disabilities.
Ilyanna Rodríguez, an ICRC accessibility expert, said: "I am also very confident that these legacies left by the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games will enable more people with disabilities to better integrate into society and have a positive impact on society as a whole." ”
In addition to the barrier-free hardware facilities, the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games also attaches great importance to the "barrier-free" of concepts and communication, which is reflected in a series of meticulous volunteer services on and off the field. There are more than 9,000 volunteers in the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, who not only provide services for delegations from all over the world, but also firmly uphold the concept of equality and respect in their services. With their subtle gestures, the volunteers convey kindness and show the hospitality of the Chinese people.
Because of the epidemic prevention requirements, the volunteers could not go home for several months in the closed loop, but they were always trying their best to bring the warmth of home to athletes from all over the world. A few days ago, Czech Paralympic ice hockey team player Hedgico celebrated his 27th birthday on the field, and just after walking off the field, the volunteers gave him a big surprise.
Václav Hudsko said: "For the first time in my life, I was so excited to receive such a courtesy that I will remember for the rest of my life." Thank you, very happy, very happy to be able to come to China, the people here and the volunteers are very friendly, thank you China. ”
Intimate care is reflected in every detail. Potato chips should be original, drinks should be sugar-free... In the Winter Olympic Village, on the walls of the athletes' pantries of various venues, the preferences of each team are clearly recorded on a series of sticky notes. This warmth has left delegations and media reporters with the best memories of China.
For young volunteers, this special experience will also turn into a tenacious force on their life path, allowing them to grow more courageously.
Zhang Honglin, a volunteer at the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, said: "Athletes are not overwhelmed by the impact of physical mutilation on their lives, they are still working very hard and doing a lot of things that we can't do. Some athletes have tipped over and stood up again and again, and the spirit of not giving up and working hard has brought me great spiritual strength, which is also the biggest gain in our entire volunteer service. ”
Whether it is a healthy person or a disabled person, when people are fighting for their dreams, they can shine the brightest light; whether it is athletes or volunteers, when people get together for good wishes, they will feel each other's most sincere kindness. "Together to the future" is not just a slogan, in this future, there are you and me, there is wonderful, warm to each other, will be eternal.