Participants praise Hangzhou Asian Para Games

HANGZHOU, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 4th Asian Para Games closed on Saturday in Hangzhou, under the theme of "Hearts Meet Dreams Shine", highlighting the morale and unity of sports of the Asian Para Games.

Over the past seven days, 3,100 athletes from 44 countries and regions shared unforgettable moments in Hangzhou. At the tournament's close, many athletes, coaches and staff expressed their gratitude to the host city.

Japanese canoeist Hiromi Tatsumi, who took the bronze medal in the men's KL2 canoe final, said, "The venue is world-class, and is fully capable of hosting large-scale international events. The environment and barrier-free facilities here are excellent."

The lawn bowls venue at Wenhui School was converted from a middle school playground. Many artificial intelligence application scenarios are integrated into the venue.

For example, when a visually impaired person enters the bathroom and asks for the location of the sink, the system will automatically provide directions through voice recognition. If someone encounters an emergency in the bathroom and calls for help or falls to the ground, the system will automatically sound an alarm.

"The 19 competition venues with permanent barrier-free facilities are among the best competition venues I have ever seen. The venue equipment is first-class with the top-notch lighting and sound, and the barrier-free facilities are extremely convenient," said Yang Jinkui, secretary general of the Chinese delegation for the Asian Para Games.

Meanwhile, the beds in the athletes' rooms have been adjusted to facilitate better rest for disabled athletes.

"The modernized barrier-free facilities in the village make it easy for us to get around, and there are humanistic details to show Hangzhou's charm," Chinese swimmer Jiang Yuyan said.

At the Village's opening ceremony, Majid Rashed, president of the Asian Paralympic Committee, said it is "the perfect place and athletes will feel right at home."

In addition to barrier-free facilities, intelligent technologies designed for athletes with disabilities have been on display at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, including guide dogs, smart bionic hands and smart bionic legs.

China's para swimmer Xu Jialing, who clinched seven golds at the Jakarta Asian Para Games in 2018, lit the cauldron with an intelligent bionic arm at the opening ceremony last Sunday.

"Although I had adapted to living with one arm, the bionic arm has given me the ability to hold a torch with both hands and light the flame. It also makes my daily life easier, like holding water bottles and twisting off closures," Xu said.

"The Asian Para Games and the athletes living in this Village will send a powerful message that people with disabilities can achieve something. By changing the way people with disabilities are viewed, we hope to create more opportunities for them, and work together to build a more inclusive society," said Rashed.

Dressed in turquoise uniforms, the volunteers for the Hangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games are called "Little Green Lotuses", which has a similar pronunciation to the word "genial" in Mandarin Chinese, representing their spirit of youth and geniality.

The coach of Thailand's blind football team, Marquez German Alberto, spoke highly of the volunteers, calling them "friendly and helpful, I love them!"

Sumant Shyam Kulshreshtha, from the Indian Paralympic Committee, said: "The volunteers are very enthusiastic and provide us with a lot of help. I am happy to work here."

"I was deeply moved and inspired by the enthusiasm and professionalism of the volunteers," said Tan Yujiao, the first torchbearer and weightlifting champion of the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Among the participants in Asian Para Games, nearly 1,100 are wheelchair users. There are 10 wheelchair and prosthetic limb repair stations set up in the Asian Para Village and other competition venues. Three mobile service vehicles and 67 professional maintenance technicians are on call around the clock, to provide the most reliable guarantee for athletes.

"The people I met here are all very friendly. I love the food and the beautiful scenery here," said Sara Abdolmaleki, an Iranian canoeist.

Over the past three years, Hangzhou has renovated and upgraded 140,000 barrier-free spots, as well as 75 urban roads, more than 3,000 kilometers of blind roads, 50 urban pedestrian bridges and tunnels, and more than 1,600 accessible public toilets.

Meanwhile, Hangzhou has created an innovative online barrier-free services platform that offers one-stop integrated services such as translation, travel and living.

Indian medic Isha Joshi likes the climate in Hangzhou: "The environment here is very beautiful, and the temperature is suitable. After the Games, I want to go to the West Lake with my friends."

The blessing wall in the Village is covered with blessing cards from athletes and coaches. The most frequently used sentences are "Thank you, Hangzhou" and "I love Hangzhou".

"We love China, and we are very happy in Hangzhou!" said Syrian badminton player Hasan Issa.