Together for the future, equally for all

The Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Villages in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition zones officially opened on Feb 25, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] 

The delegations from China, Italy and Sweden were the first to move into the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics villages in Beijing and Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, when they opened on Friday.

The Winter Paralympics have not started yet, but the organizers are keen to ensure that they are no less wonderful than the Winter Olympics. In the just concluded Winter Olympics, China impressed the whole world with its smooth hosting of the event, winning praise from teams and viewers around the world. In the Winter Paralympics that are about to start, China is confident of hosting another thrilling sporting event that captures the hearts of sports fans wherever they may be.

Equality is a key value of the Paralympics that matches traditional Chinese virtue. The first thing to do to ensure equality is to provide all the athletes with a safe, welcoming and comfortable home away from home, with barrier-free access and devices everywhere. That is what China has done. In the Paralympics villages, the floors in the corridors and the rooms are constructed with non-slippery materials, the electric outlets, door handles, as well as buttons for calling for help have all been lowered, while the menus have braille versions and there are non-barrier routes to different rooms.

In every detail, the designers of the villages have tried to let the athletes feel their love and warmth.

Actually, while planning the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the organizers have designed the two events together. Barrier-free ideas have been included in all details, special training has been provided to every staff member. People with disabilities have been invited to the stadiums to try the devices. All these have laid a solid foundation for the athletes to perform to their best.

In a broader sense, in Beijing, the barrier-free devices have been popularized, while in Zhangjiakou detailed plans have been made to popularize them. It is fair to say that the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics will leave a precious legacy of helping those with disabilities.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.