A customs officer helps a member of the Swiss Paralympic delegation with her luggage August 28, 2008, at the Capital International Airport in Beijing. [China Daily] |
Olympic fever may have subsided with the end of summer, but for Paralympians, the Games are just warming up.
With only eight days to go before the opening of the Beijing Paralympics, foreign athletes around the world are getting ready to compete and surpass their personal records.
Formed by 32 athletes from 13 provinces, the Cuban Paralympic delegation has arrived in Beijing.
They will reportedly compete in five sports, focusing on athletics and judo, to capitalize on their strengths in these events.
Their participation in weightlifting, swimming and table tennis events is also expected to see wide viewership at home.
The delegation is made up of 68 athletes, with 60 percent of them competing in wheelchair competitions.
The athletes on Tuesday expressed confidence in their performance for this year's Games.
Among them are swimming gold medalist Juan Ignacio Reyes and swimming world champion Christopher Tronco Sanchez. Sanchez, who has 130 medals to his name, said he would do his best to bring a medal back to Mexico.
Other champions include wheelchair sprinter Saul Mendoza, who has ranked among the world's best for many years, and judoka Eduardo Avila Sanchez.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon reportedly wished the athletes success last week and handed them the country's flag at the presidential compound of Los Pinos.
A 30-strong New Zealand team also left home on Wednesday and will reportedly compete in seven sports.
Up-and-coming swimmer Sophie Pascoe, 15, is said to have a very good chance of bringing home gold, media reported.
World record holder and 2004 Paralympics 10,000m and 5,000m gold medalist Henry Wanyoike is also upbeat about the Games, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) reported.
Speaking to KBC, Wanyoike said his star-studded team of 13 competitors is "focused on emulating ... Olympic counterparts who bagged a total of 14 medals at the Beijing Summer Games".
Wanyoike told KBC that he faced an uphill task in Beijing this time. He will be competing in three sports -the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon.