BOCOG to strengthen Paralympic education

The scene of the meeting

(BEIJING, January 29) -- The 2008 beginning-year project review for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOOCG) concluded here on Tuesday.

During the two-day session, the two sides gave updates on the latest progress with the preparatory works for the 2008 Games and exchanged views on the promotion of the preparations together, covering 13 keynote issues about the athlete's village, torch relay, image & look and venue construction, etc.

"BOCOG has put equal significance on the preparatory works for the Beijing Paralympics, and suggestions from the IPC be fully considered to improve our work," concluded BOCOG Executive Vice-President Wang Wei at the meeting's closing ceremony.

Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC

BOCOG had organized three project reviews for the Beijing Paralympics within one year. In 2008, BOCOG will speed up the urban construction of barrier-free facilities; fully evaluate the works for the first pre-Paralympic event -- the Good Luck Beijing wheelchair basketball sport event; work out the detailed venue operation action plans; and bring Paralympic promotional training and education to a full scale.

Last year, the Paralympic Games were introduced to tens of thousands of students in 162 Beijing schools by the Heart-to-Heart Program, and tens of thousands of Chinese schools participated in the national-level "Paralympic Day" campaign.

The scene of the meeting

Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC, noted in an address at the session's closing ceremony that the discussion and the venue tour in Beijing convinced him of very successful preparations for the Beijing Olympics.

Executive Vice-Presidents Jiang Xiaoyu, Yang Shu'an and Tang Xiaoquan of BOCOG attended the session, and the next project review will be held in April.

The scene of the meeting