A record number of 34 disabled athletes from Guangdong set off for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in batches last week. The 16th Summer Paralympic Games will officially open in Tokyo, Japan on August 24, and the concept of this year’s opening ceremony is "We Have Wings".

(Photo: Nanfang Daily)

According to the Guangdong Disabled Persons’ Federation, a total of 34 athletes, 8 coaches, and 8 staff from Guangdong will participate in 11 major games, including track and field, cycling, table tennis, badminton, weightlifting, archery, boccia, wheelchair tennis, Blind Judo, Blind Football, and wheelchair basketball. The number of athletes and games are the largest ever. The average age of 34 Guangdong athletes is 30, with the oldest being 45 (table tennis player, Xiong Guiyan) and the youngest being 16 (table tennis player, Huang Wenjuan).

Many athletes who participated in the Paralympic Games for the first time this year are ready for the competition. Huang Jinlian, a 32-year-old Yangjiang girl, has been engaging in wheelchair tennis for 13 years. She has won plenty of honors such as the champion of the National Games of Disabled Persons and runner-up of the Asian Paralympic Games. In order to realize her Olympic dream, she has returned to the sports field two times after retiring twice over the past 13 years.

Huang Jinlian is in wheelchair tennis training for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. (Photo: Nanfang Metropolis Daily)

In addition, three Guangdong players from the Chinese Men's Blind Football Team are also remarkable. They are Zhang Jiabin from Zhanjiang, Liang Zhongzhi from Zhaoqing and Wang Zhen from Dongguan. All three athletes are participating in the Paralympic Games for the first time. Established in 2006, the Chinese Men's Blind Football Team is a world-class team, winning the Asian championship in 2009, silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, runner-up in both the 2010 World Cup and 2011 World Blind Games respectively, and winners in the 2011 Asian Championships.

Zhang Haidi, chairman of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation delivered a speech at the mobilization meeting on August 17. She expected the Chinese athletes to deliver good performances in the upcoming sports gala. Despite of the pandemic, the athletes still trained hard to participate in the Paralympic Games, and their spirit of facing challenges will demonstrate their love for life and courage of overcoming difficulties. This indomitable will and optimistic spirit can also inspire more disabled people to create a better life.

The Chinese Paralympians, of which 132 are female and 119 are male, will compete in 20 of the 22 sports on the Tokyo 2020 program, including first-time Paralympic events of taekwondo and badminton, representing a record for the most sports China has competed in at an overseas Paralympic Games.

Author: Ariel