Breaking down barriers

Venues for the Asian Para Games have been comprehensively upgraded to cater to athletes with disabilities, with all competition areas equipped with barrier-free facilities. DONG XUMING/LONG WEI/FOR CHINA DAILY/XIAO JIAN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/CHINA DAILY

Fully accessible venues for the 4th Asian Para Games are ready for action after a successful transition

The 19 competition venues for the 4th Asian Para Games are all set to accommodate the event's 564 medal events across 22 sports, said the event's organizers, following a smooth transitional operation from the successful Asian Games.

Seventeen of the competition venues at the Asian Para Games, which will take place from Oct 22 to 28 in Hangzhou, were used during the Asian Games.

All venues boast permanent barrier-free facilities. During the transition period, work entailed building and installing additional facilities in areas such as passageways, stands, award platforms, media conference rooms, and athletes' lounges, among others.

The whole transition was completed at all the competition venues on Oct 15, according to representatives of the organizing committee of the Asian Para Games.

From karate during the Asian Games to sitting volleyball during the Asian Para Games, the Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium has been transformed into a completely different competition venue in just one week.

Part of the renovation included the installation of a barrier-free pick-up and drop-off platform.

"Getting passengers on and off is the first step in the flow of athletes after arriving at the venue. We must ensure that from here on, there are no obstacles for athletes to move in and around the venue," said Fu Yuanqing, director of fixed facilities and accessibility with the center's venue operations team.

Storage areas for wheelchairs and prosthetic limb vehicles have also been set up around the venue.

Venues for the Asian Para Games have been comprehensively upgraded to cater to athletes with disabilities, with all competition areas equipped with barrier-free facilities. DONG XUMING/LONG WEI/FOR CHINA DAILY/XIAO JIAN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/CHINA DAILY

To facilitate people with disabilities to watch the action, more than 70 general-audience seats have been replaced with 38 accessible-viewing seats. Both sides of the seats are equipped with lifts, while barrier-free facilities are installed in shower rooms, changing rooms and washrooms, according to Fu.

The accessible elevators not only have a low-level button panel for athletes with disabilities, but also feature Chinese and English Braille on the buttons, so that athletes can easily understand and operate them, Fu said.

At Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium, staff have transformed the football pitch used during the Asian Games into a venue for track and field competitions. A total of 153 gold medals will be contested at the venue during the Asian Para Games, making it the venue with the largest number of golds.

"Compared with football, track and field equipment for people with disabilities is very diverse and needs to be subdivided and classified one by one," said Zhang Bin, deputy director of the center. "Within the same sport, there are different specifications of equipment corresponding to different grades, and the volume of equipment involved is relatively large."

The largest number of gold medals means the largest number of award ceremonies.

Venues for the Asian Para Games have been comprehensively upgraded to cater to athletes with disabilities, with all competition areas equipped with barrier-free facilities. DONG XUMING/LONG WEI/FOR CHINA DAILY/XIAO JIAN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/CHINA DAILY

"About 25 events will be awarded every day during the competition,"Zhang said. "Unlike the Asian Games medal podium, which was straight up and down, we have added ramps on the left and right sides of the Para Asian Games podium, and we have expanded both its width and length to allow athletes with limited mobility to receive awards comfortably."

Venues designated solely for the Asian Para Games are also ramping up for the event. At China's national goalball training base in Tangxi town, tactile paving extends from the venue's foyer to every function room and competition area, ensuring visually impaired athletes can navigate safely and comfortably.

A rest area for guide dogs is also available outside the venue to cater to the needs of the athletes' canine companions. He Xiaoming, the office manager of the goalball training base, said that to provide a comfortable environment for guide dogs, the venue has built awnings to provide respite from rain and strong sunlight, and established contact with professional animal hospitals to provide emergency services for guide dogs.

Venues for the Asian Para Games have been comprehensively upgraded to cater to athletes with disabilities, with all competition areas equipped with barrier-free facilities. DONG XUMING/LONG WEI/FOR CHINA DAILY/XIAO JIAN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/CHINA DAILY

"While athletes are on the field competing at their best, we will take good care of their 'partners' in this grassy area to give them more peace of mind," He said.

A wheelchair repair station has also been set up on the lawns of Hangzhou Wenhui School, equipped with professional maintenance personnel and volunteers, to provide free maintenance services for assistive devices from Oct 14 to 28.

"For athletes with physical disabilities, assistive devices such as wheelchairs, prostheses and orthotics are indispensable. They are as important as medical care," said one of the venue's staff members. "We have a professional assistive device maintenance team behind us so that athletes don't have to worry."

LIN SHUJUAN in Hangzhou