THE iconic Arc de Triomphe, now illuminated by the vibrant red, blue and green of the Paralympic emblem, served as the backdrop for around 4,400 athletes from around the world as they took part in last night’s opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. China’s 516-member delegation has spent days preparing with adaptive training, and is poised to showcase the strength, skill and determination of the nation’s athletes to the world. With an average age of 25.8 years old, 284 Chinese Paralympians are set to participate in 19 sports, including archery, athletics and badminton, across 302 events at the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, which is held in Paris until Sept. 8. Wheelchair fencer Gu Haiyan and weightlifter Qi Yongkai were chosen to carry China’s flag at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games. Gu, 24, a Paralympic champion from Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, has been involved in wheelchair fencing for a decade. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, she secured two gold medals in the foil individual A and women’s team foil events. Gu’s dominance continued at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, where she won five gold medals and one silver. She is set to compete in three individual events — foil, epee, and sabre — as well as two team competitions in foil and epee at the Paris Paralympics. Qi, a 25-year-old weightlifter from Hebei Province, also shone at the Tokyo Paralympics, winning gold in the men’s 59kg weightlifting category. He set a new record at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou by lifting 194kg. The Paris Paralympics marks China’s 11th participation in the Summer Paralympic Games. All athletes are amateurs, representing a variety of professions, ranging from workers and farmers to students, civil servants and freelancers. China made its Paralympics debut in 1984, when Ping Yali won the country’s first Paralympic gold medal in the women’s long jump. In 2021, at the Tokyo Paralympics, China secured 207 medals, including 96 golds, making it to the top of the gold medal count and the overall standings. In recent Paralympic Games, China has established itself as a dominant force in sports such as wheelchair fencing, swimming, powerlifting, athletics, table tennis, archery, shooting and badminton. (Xinhua, SD-Agencies) | 