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Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts

Monday, October 9, 2023

Hi-tech Hangzhou 19th Asian Games hard to say goodbye; it's a new starting point

The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, the main venue of the Hangzhou Asian Games Photo: VCG


As the schedule of the Hangzhou Asian Games enters its final day, with continuous teasers about the closing ceremony's highlights, this pan-Asian sports event is about to come to a close. A poet says "when I recall Jiangnan, Hangzhou brings back most of my memories." Hangzhou has fulfilled its promise of hosting a perfect Asian Games that is "green, smart, frugal, and civilized." When the sacred flame slowly extinguishes, it will leave behind beautiful memories and heartfelt farewells for Asia and the entire world.

It should be said that this has been a lively and festive Asian Games, and also a vibrant and modern event. In over half a month, the Hangzhou Asian Games has left people with memorable moments, including a surprising opening ceremony, touching moments of dedication and cooperation, the omnipresence of intelligent technology, and warm and attentive event services. From any perspective, this Games, with the highest number of events, participants, and the most complex competition organization in the history of Asian Games, has achieved tremendous success. Its success is expected, and has left a deep impression due to the countless surprises it brought.

Hangzhou, as one of China's most dynamic cities, has showcased China's openness and vitality to guests from various Asian countries and regions, while also building bridges of friendship and communication. For instance, the scene where athletes from China, Japan, and South Korea consoled each other and left the field together after the men's 1500m final was captured by many media outlets and received countless likes on Chinese social media. Learning from opponents during competition, fostering unity and friendship through competition - this is the true essence of sportsmanship and the way people and nations should interact. Beyond the intense sporting competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games, there have been many respects and embraces, and the emotions they bring transcend sports itself.

What is especially commendable is that during the Hangzhou Asian Games, all activities have revolved around the sporting events themselves, and sports have not been exploited or influenced by other factors. In recent years, with changes in the international landscape, geopolitics has inevitably permeated various fields, creating conflicts and confrontations where they shouldn't exist, including in international sports events. The Hangzhou Asian Games has successfully resisted this negative influence, allowing the games to return to their essence. It has once again made the spirit of sports a bond that connects the hearts of different nations and ethnic groups.

This year's Asian Games has attracted participation from 45 countries and regions. Each country has its own unique national conditions and different systems and cultures. Some are among the wealthiest countries in the world and some are still struggling with political instability. However, on the Asian Games stage, regardless of which country or region they represent, athletes share the same starting line and move toward the same goal. As of Friday night, there were 15 world records, 28 Asian records, and 150 Asian Games records broken at the Hangzhou Asian Games, behind which is the relentless pursuit of "faster, higher, stronger - more united" by nearly 12,000 athletes. Each new record is greeted with sincere cheers and applause, regardless of the country or region the athlete is from.

For the Chinese people, "out of Asia, into the world" was once the nation's aspiration for the Asian Games. Every time a gold medal is won, it ignites an unparalleled sense of national pride among hundreds of millions of Chinese people. However, as various major sports events have been held in China in recent years, despite it still cheers for winning gold medals, Chinese society no longer sees it as the sole proof of the county's strength. Instead, it places greater emphasis on the spiritual essence of sports. This represents a significant psychological shift and demonstrates the collective maturity and confidence of Chinese society, behind which is the growth of China transitioning from being a major sporting nation to a leading sporting nation.

At the same time, hosting the Asian Games is no longer just about "bringing glory to the country." Its long-term effects will continue to play a role, not only in promoting local economy and sports industry development, but more importantly, it conveys a distinct value of "achieving self-realization through hard work." The short videos of athletes striving to surpass themselves quickly became popular on Chinese social platforms, precisely because the sprits they conveyed resonate with the mainstream values of Chinese society. From this, the outside world can gain a better understanding of the thoughts of Chinese society, which is to achieve dreams through hard work and strive for a better life.

In Hangzhou, Asia has experienced a wonderful time together. As the Hangzhou Asian Games, a sports festival, is about to come to an end, its spiritual power as a cultural event will continue to be timeless. It's hard to say goodbye to Hangzhou. We hope that its tangible material legacy will continue to contribute to the development of sports and society in this city, and we also look forward to its intangible spiritual legacy being carried to every corner of Asia and even the world with the help of everyone who has witnessed it.


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Saturday, September 23, 2023

Biggest ever Asian Games set to kick off in China’s Hangzhou

 

Hangzhou Asian Games (globaltimes.cn)

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From digital torchbearer to electronic fireworks: Hangzhou Asian Games kicks off with innovative, spectacular opening ceremony

On Saturday, the day of Autumn Equinox, one of the traditional Chinese solar terms, the 19th Asian Games opening ceremony 

Chinese President Xi Jinping extended a warm welcome to international dignitaries attending the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games at a welcoming banquet on Saturday noon in Hangzhou, East China's Province of Zhejiang Province.
Frankly, the majority of the 289 athletes in Hangzhou will likely be making up the numbers in their respective events. - NSTP/AIZUDDIN SAAD
Frankly, the majority of the 289 athletes in Hangzhou will likely be making up the numbers in their respective events. - NSTP/AIZUDDIN SAAD



Hangzhou, China – The Asian Games are finally upon us.

Delayed by a year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the 19th edition of the event is set to officially begin on Saturday in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou with a two-hour opening ceremony.

Dating back to 1951, the Games are bigger than the Olympics when it comes to the number of athletes and sports – and this year’s competition is billed as the biggest in history.

Nearly 12,500 athletes – more than ever – from 45 countries and territories will be competing across 40 sports.

“It is really a pleasure to see that, after the three years of pandemic, the interest that has been generated for these Games,” said Vinod Kumar Tiwari, acting director general of the Olympic Council of Asia.

“Because these will be the first Games that will be held without any restrictions … for the first time after the pandemic.”

The Games will be held in 56 venues, 12 of which have been newly built. The programme includes the more traditional events, such as athletics and swimming but also those which reflect Asia’s diverse sporting culture, such as sepak takraw, or kick volleyball; kabaddi, a mixture of team tag and wrestling; and wushu, a martial art.

China, as the host country, has the privilege of choosing which sports to include in the programme, with bridge, chess and Xiangqi (Chinese chess) being among the non-Olympic events featured in the schedule. Meanwhile, e-sports, breakdancing and sport climbing will be making their Games debut, in an effort to attract the interest of younger people.

0 FIFA Online 4, Street Fighter V and League of Legends are among the seven e-sport medal events.

“Together, we will celebrate the beauty and diversity of e-sports,” said Wissam Trkmani, the project and operations manager at the Olympic Council of Asia, speaking at the Road to Asian Games opening ceremony in June.

“May the Road to Asian Games be a testament to the incredible achievements and unwavering dedication of e-sports athletes in Asia.”


India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra [File: Denis Balibouse/Reuters] © Provided by Al Jazeera

The Games will see participants competing for 481 gold medals across 15 days.

India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is arguably the biggest star to look out for at the event. He won India’s first track-and-field Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and became the world champion in August.

Chopra, who also won the Asian Games title in 2018, has 6.2 million fans on Instagram which makes him the most followed athletics star other than Usain Bolt who retired in 2017.

Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim is the Olympic high-jump champion and will go in search of a third Asian Games title after winning gold in both 2010 and 2014.

The star of the 2018 Asian Games, Riako Ikee, will also be one of the big names to watch as swimming takes centre stage in the first week of competition.

Ikee won six gold medals for Japan in the previous Asian Games hosted by Indonesia and became the first female athlete to be named the Asian Games MVP.

She was then diagnosed with leukaemia but fought back to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.


Swimmer Zhang Yufei is one of China’s great hopes for a gold medal [File: Issei Kato/Reuters] © Provided by Al Jazeera

China, the Asian Games superpower


China has topped every Asian Games medal table since 1982 and is sending an 886-strong team to Hangzhou, including 13-year-old skateboarder Cui Chenxi and 60-year-old bridge player Dai Jianming.

“Be good hosts, conduct extensive friendly exchanges and demonstrate our country’s good image of reform and opening up, economic development, and social progress to Asian and international communities,” said China’s director of the National Sports Bureau, Gao Zhidan, at the team’s launch.

Gao also called for the athletes to “bring glory to the country, and fully demonstrate the immense power of China’s modern sports practice.”

Among China’s most likely medal hopefuls is swimmer Zhang Yufei.

The Olympic champion won the 100-metre butterfly at the world championships in Fukuoka earlier this year and will compete for up to seven golds in Hangzhou.

Her compatriot – 19-year-old rising star Pan Zhanle – is a favourite to win the 100-metre freestyle, having already lowered the Asian record twice in 2023.

The host nation is expected to dominate the diving events, as well as table tennis with two world number ones, Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha, both going for gold.

In badminton, fans will treated to two newly crowned world champions: Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn and An Seyoung of South Korea.

There is also great excitement for a potential clash between great cricket rivals India and Pakistan, after the former sent a team to the Asian Games for the first time.

The closing ceremony on October 8 will include the handover to Japan before the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. Qatar will host the Asian Games in 2030.



Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the highly expected 19th Asian Games to be in Hangzhou from Friday to Saturday and will hold a welcoming banquet and bilateral ...

Hangzhou Asian Games a big day for the whole of Asia: Global Times editorial

No one will doubt the level of organization and the splendor of the Hangzhou Asian Games.


Final Rehearsal for 19th Asian Games Opening Ceremony Held in Hangzhou

https://youtu.be/qsR9OML0u0w?si=OAafEY4L6fUTBPTN

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture
Published: Sep 12, 2023 10:37 PM
When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GT

When Hangzhou Asian Games meets Chinese culture Graphic: Deng Zijun/GTD


 

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Penang Golf Club

 


 

DRIVING RANGE ARE BACK TO NORMAL OPERATING HOURS! (SOP Applies) Monday (excluding Public Holiday) 10.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. Monday (on Public Holiday) 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday (inclusive Public Holiday) 7.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. Reach us @ +60 11-3602 1952 for more info!
 
 
Penang Golf Club 
Club house
Penang Golf Club (Bayan Lepas) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go 

 http://penanggolfclub.com.my/index-eng.html
 
 Penang Golf Club, the only championship 18-hole golf course on Penang island, has gone through a makeover making it a challenging and exciting venue for golfers.

The Robert Trent Jones Jr designed golf course, situated on the slopes of the Jambul Hill, has Bermuda grass shaping the tee boxes and fairways and tif eagle covering the greens with luscious vegetation surrounding it to bring players as close to nature as possible.

Locals and visitors who have numerous sights to enjoy on the island known as the “Pearl of the Orient” including recognised World Heritage Sites now can add a memorable game of golf into their itinerary.

The Penang Golf Club, which was formerly called Bukit Jambul Golf Club, has a rich history since it opened in 1984 and was the venue for the 31st Malaysian Open in 1992 which was won by Vijay Singh. It had a new facelift and reopened on November, 2012.

 Pine, Palm, Durian, Rambutan, Skyfruit, Angsana, Yellow Flame, Pulai, Tecoma, Neem and other tall trees add character to the golf course which also provide a panoramic view of different parts of Penang, including the two bridges which link Penang to the mainland, which can be seen from different holes.
The 6,393 yards (5,848 metres) par 72 course has sand bunkers at strategic places, water hazards encroaching into the playing area and rolling fairways which are characteristics that are similar to golf courses in Japan.

The 32-bay, two-tier, driving range which is 250 metres long provides practice for budding golfers and those who want to hone their skills. Professional lessons are also available for those interested in taking up the game with Japanese and local staff at hand to make the players feel at home.

The Sakurajima Restaurant in the clubhouse has large and small private rooms that serves Japanese and Chinese cuisine and is tocked with a variety of well-known “Sake” and “Shochu” from Kagoshima, Japan.

A 10-minute drive from the airport will bring you to Penang Golf Club while accommodation is convenient with the five-star Equatorial Hotel located a stone’s throw away.

Penang which is famous for its sight-seeing, shopping and entertainment beckons you with the additional lure of an exciting round of golf. So when you plan your next holiday, make sure Penang Golf Club is on the agenda.

  Membership for sales, text message to richard: 6012-4860539

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Know your fit­ness lingo

To nav­ig­ate the fit­ness world, it helps to have know­ledge of cer­tain terms and acronyms.

When it comes to strength train­ing, using your body­weight to per­form the exer­cise is adequate for begin­ners. — Pho­tos: 123rf.com 

On your act­ive recov­ery day, gentle stretch­ing is a good way to relax the body. 

 

 

 Little jumps that can raise your heart rate count as car­dio activ­ity.

GYM-GOERS and some per­sonal train­ers like to throw jar­gon and acronyms around, even if they may not fully under­stand what the terms mean.

A few months ago, I met a col­lege-going chap who had just star­ted lift­ing weights and I quer­ied him on his workout regime.

Most of his know­ledge was taken off the inter­net – he was work­ing out his arms and legs on altern­ate days six days a week, and look­ing tired, but good.

“I’m set­ting a PR every day,” he proudly told me.

PR? I was puzzled (I’m old school) and asked what that was because I only knew of PB (per­sonal best).

The PR that I’m famil­iar with is the abbre­vi­ation for pub­lic rela­tions – after all, as media prac­ti­tion­ers, we fre­quently deal with PR pro­fes­sion­als.

“Per­sonal record, aunty!” he said, smil­ing while won­der­ing which era I came from.

“Oh, that’s pos­sible to do on a daily basis, huh?” I com­men­ted, intrigued.

Try­ing to keep up with the young­ster, I then ques­tioned: “Are you doing super­sets or tris­ets?

“And don’t you suf­fer from DOMS, espe­cially if you’re lift­ing so fre­quently?”

He gave me a blank stare because the terms threw him off.

Never assume middle-aged souls with mini muscles don’t know much!

So, I patiently explained them to him.

This encounter is not quite reflect­ive of the gen­er­a­tional gap, but is bound to hap­pen to any­one as the fit­ness world has its own lingo and it’s tough to keep up with all the abbre­vi­ations and acronyms, espe­cially the newly-cre­ated ones.

And it can be daunt­ing for the begin­ner who enters the gym or has a con­ver­sa­tion about fit­ness.

Upon check­ing with my per­sonal trainer friends, I dis­covered that PR (the fit­ness acronym) is gym lingo that can be used for any kind of fit­ness activ­ity.

It is, however, nor­mally asso­ci­ated with the heav­iest weight you’ve lif­ted for a par­tic­u­lar exer­cise, or the max­imum num­ber of repe­ti­tions you per­formed using a cer­tain weight.

People usu­ally toss around this acronym when speak­ing about big lifts.

There are no hard and fast rules over using PR, but some people sub­sti­tute it for PB.

They also use it to refer to other isol­a­tion exer­cises such as biceps curls, jump height, sprints, or even the length of time it takes to run a cer­tain dis­tance.

Here are a few com­mon fit­ness terms you might want to know – and use – when neces­sary.

Car­dio

Car­dio, or car­di­ovas­cu­lar or aer­obic exer­cise, is any rhythmic activ­ity that makes your heart beat faster and increases your breath­ing.

This is as you would require more oxy­gen to keep up with the pace of move­ment.

Examples of car­dio activ­it­ies are run­ning, brisk walk­ing, cyc­ling, march­ing in place, etc.

Get­ting your heart pump­ing at a faster rate on a reg­u­lar basis keeps it in shape and healthy, thus redu­cing the risk of heart dis­ease.

The role of car­dio exer­cises is to help burn cal­or­ies so that you can shed weight.

Strength/res­ist­ance train­ing

This form of exer­cise is inten­ded to increase mus­cu­lar strength and endur­ance.

It involves exer­cising muscles using some form of res­ist­ance, i.e. weights, bands, or even your own body­weight work­ing against grav­ity.

To lose weight faster, com­bine your car­dio with strength train­ing, and watch how your body trans­forms.

Your bones can bene­fit from res­ist­ance train­ing too.

Stud­ies have shown that doing res­ist­ance train­ing con­sist­ently can main­tain or increase bone mass and dens­ity.

This is something most doc­tors are ask­ing their older patients to do as it also helps improve bal­ance and sta­bil­ity.

Hyper­trophy

This refers to an increase or growth in muscle size achieved through strength-train­ing exer­cises.

This style of train­ing is pop­u­lar within the body­build­ing com­munity, where there is often a focus on the growth of cer­tain muscles, e.g. thighs, calves, biceps or arms, to achieve an ideal physique.

Achiev­ing this hap­pens via mod­er­ate weight-lift­ing and mod­er­ate repe­ti­tions.

On the oppos­ite end, muscle atrophy is the decrease in size and wast­ing of muscle tis­sue.

Rep/set

Rep is the short form for repe­ti­tion, i.e. how many times you do the exer­cise.

One rep means one time, two reps mean two times, and so on.

The term “set” tells you how many times you are to repeat a par­tic­u­lar num­ber of repe­ti­tions of a given exer­cise.

For example, if you are doing squats, say­ing three sets of 15 reps means you’ll be doing 15 squats three times in total, with a rest (for an allot­ted time, per­haps 30 seconds or a minute) in between sets.

Super­sets/tris­ets/giant sets

Super­sets are doing two exer­cises back to back with no break.

Giant sets are doing four or more exer­cises back to back with no break.

Dur­ing these sets, you can either pair exer­cises that are non-com­pet­ing, i.e. oppos­ing muscle groups, or you can tar­get the same muscle.

For example, you may do one set of 12 reps of chest presses, fol­lowed by another set of 12 reps of push-ups.

This is a super­set exer­cising the same muscle group.

Or you may do one set of 12 reps of push-ups, fol­lowed by another set of 12 reps of squats, then another set of 12 reps of calf raises.

This is a triset exer­cising dif­fer­ent muscle groups.

DOMS

All of us exper­i­ence DOMS, or delayed onset muscle sore­ness, at some point from doing any activ­ity that is either new, done for a longer dur­a­tion, and/or at a harder intens­ity.

It’s caused by inflamed muscle and con­nect­ive tis­sues.

Symp­toms range from muscle ten­der­ness or sore­ness, to severe debil­it­at­ing pain.

The tem­por­ary dis­com­fort starts a day or two after a workout, and eases off by day three or four.

The sore­ness is a sign that your muscles have been worked and your fit­ness is pro­gress­ing, but you shouldn’t be get­ting DOMS after every workout unless you’re exer­cising only once a month!

HIIT

High intens­ity inter­val train­ing (HIIT) is a form of car­dio exer­cise char­ac­ter­ised by short peri­ods of all-out exer­cise, inter­spersed with rest or act­ive recov­ery ses­sions.

It com­bines both car­dio and strength train­ing, with the inten­tion to max­im­ise ath­letic per­form­ance.

It incor­por­ates sev­eral rounds that altern­ate between sev­eral minutes of high intens­ity move­ments to sig­ni­fic­antly increase the heart rate to at least 80% of one’s max­imum heart rate, fol­lowed by short peri­ods of lower intens­ity move­ments.

There is a ratio that is fol­lowed, i.e. the amount of time spent work­ing versus the amount of time spent recov­er­ing – also known as the work-to-recov­ery ratio.

For example, when you per­form 60 seconds of work, fol­lowed by 60 seconds of recov­ery, your HIIT ratio is one-to-one.

Tabata

This is another form of HIIT con­sist­ing of short workout blocks.

Tabata train­ing breaks a workout down into clearly defined inter­vals – typ­ic­ally, 20 seconds of a push-it-to-the-limit exer­cise, fol­lowed by 10 seconds of rest.

One cycle is repeated eight times for a total of four minutes.

You can mix two exer­cises in a cycle, e.g. 20 seconds jump­ing jacks, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds crunches, 10 seconds rest, then repeat.

The recom­mend­a­tion is to do four to five cycles for a 16-20 minutes’ workout – you’ll be sweat­ing buck­ets by then!

Tabata, foun­ded by Japan­ese sci­ent­ist Izumi Tabata, is a highly effect­ive train­ing style for build­ing power and car­di­ovas­cu­lar fit­ness.

However, bear in mind that Tabata is gruelling and you’ll need to be fit enough to meet its phys­ical demands without get­ting injured.

Also note that Tabatha is HIIT, but not all HIIT is Tabata.

Act­ive rest or recov­ery

This is usu­ally one day in a set time period when you give your body a “break” and do some sort of move­ment that is less intense than your reg­u­lar workout days.

But this does not mean you can lounge on the couch or scroll through social media throughout the day.

Instead, act­ive rest means schedul­ing a low-intens­ity activ­ity like a leis­urely stroll, foam-rolling or gentle yoga to help with cir­cu­la­tion. 

You can even opt for a mas­sage. Your body needs time to recover (just like the mind needs to recharge) so that the muscles can rebuild stronger.      

By Revathi Mur­ugap­pan, a cer­ti­fied fit­ness trainer who tries to battle grav­ity and con­tin­ues to dance to express her­self artist­ic­ally and nour­ish her soul. For more inform­a­tion, email star­health@the­star.com. my. The inform­a­tion con­tained in this column is for gen­eral edu­ca­tional pur­poses only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any war­ranty on accur­acy, com­plete­ness, func­tion­al­ity, use­ful­ness or other assur­ances as to such inform­a­tion. The Star and the author dis­claim all respons­ib­il­ity for any losses, dam­age to prop­erty or per­sonal injury suffered dir­ectly or indir­ectly from reli­ance on such inform­a­tion.

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Happy and healthy, not hunky

 

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

'Equally spectacular' Paralympics bring world message of solidarity


Beijing 2022 Closing Ceremony Highlights | Paralympic Games

Closing Ceremony | Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games

Photo taken on March 13, 2022 shows a scene of the performance during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing. Photo: Cui Meng/GT














Medals

  1. CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
    18202361
    1110829
    861125
    73212
    611320
    55313
    48719
    4217
    4127
    3036
    2327
    2237
    2204
    1146
    1124
    0314
    0011
    0011
    0011
    More stats on paralympic.org










中国才是第一!`

While the world might have not been paying the closest attention, nearly 600 para athletes from 46 countries and regions have competed at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, which came to an end on Sunday.
`
These 600 Paralympic athletes competed for more than 78 gold medals in 10 days, but also for their childhood dreams, the honor of the countries they represent and the breakthrough of human limits.
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During Sunday night's closing ceremony, the lights played out in the shape of a phonograph in the middle of the ice arena in the Bird's Nest. As the record spun, some of the exciting moments from the Winter Paralympics were recreated to music.
`
The Chinese delegation completed a stunning breakthrough at the Winter Paralympics, taking the top spot in the medal table. But experts told the Global Times that the Winter Games are much more than that. It is about the spirit of humanity coming together, the disabled community coming into the spotlight, and the light it brings to a divided world.
`
Hundreds of dancers with or without disabilities dressed in different national costumes danced on the ice in the Bird's Nest to a symphony of "Winter Paralympic Waltz." The main torch was slowly extinguished as a visually impaired violinist played a song. Then, the Beijing Winter Paralympics, which lasted for 10 days, officially closed.
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"At the Games, everyone is a winner," said a commentator on the official broadcaster, China Central Television.
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'Humanity together'
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Three weeks after the successful hosting of the Winter Olympics, the Winter Paralympics also celebrated its final chapter on Sunday.
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The successful holding of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games demonstrates that China has fulfilled its promise of making the Olympics and Paralympics equally spectacular, Cai Qi, president of the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said on Sunday.
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Speaking at a news conference on Sunday morning, Cai recalled some of the impressive details of the Paralympic Games, including the opening ceremony which blends sports with performance, actors performing China's national anthem in sign language, and athletes embedding the torch in the main torch stand.
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"All of these moments have moved us and conveyed confidence, love and hope to the world," he said.
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"On the field of play, para athletes defied the odds, broke through barriers and boundaries, and gave the world the power of solidarity through their struggle," Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, told the Global Times on Sunday.
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They reminded the world that we need to care for each other, understand each other, and work together to overcome difficulties together, Zhang said.
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It highlights China's concern for the community with a shared future for mankind, its concern for the world's cause for the physically challenged, and its eagerness and affirmation of their struggles, observers noted.
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And to everyone's delight, the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games were not affected by the worldwide raging pandemic.
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Beijing's closed-loop management system successfully secured the smooth and safe operation of the event. Within a 20-day period, the Beijing Paralympic Games found only 19 positive test results among incoming personnel, as well as seven positive test results within the closed loop.
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No cluster infections occurred and no events were affected.
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"Chinatastic" is the word that Swiss Paralympic medalist Theo Gmur used to describe his trip to Beijing, which he said means a "mix of China and fantastic."
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"This is the best Games I have ever been [to] so far," Gmur said.
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"This is also a reflection of China's role as a great power, as China has very clearly communicated through the Winter Olympics and Paralympics its strong confidence and desire for humanity to be more united and to rise above these challenges," Zhang Yiwu said.
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Topping the chart
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On Sunday afternoon, when all 78 Paralympic events had finished, the name that spectators found on top of the medal rally was a bit of a surprise - Team China.
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The Chinese delegation snatched a record-high 61 medals, including 18 gold medals, 20 silver medals and 23 bronze medals, topping both the total medal tally and the gold medal table.
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The Communist Party of China Central Committee and China's State Council sent a congratulatory message to the Chinese delegation on Sunday afternoon, noting that their achievements fully reflect the spirit of Chinese sports and the achievements of China's human rights protection and national development, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
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Historically, Team China had not been considered a favored medal competitor in Winter Paralympics. In 2018, the delegation won only one medal, the first Team China had won at a Winter Paralympics.
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The team's performance is "unprecedented and extremely amazing," reflecting the country's effort and progress in the cause of promoting the rights of people with disabilities, Yang Ruixiong, a professor of social security studies for people with disabilities at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Sunday.
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"In the past, the rights of the physically challenged has not been stressed, and the idea of them engaging in competitive sports was not as popular as it has become," Yang said.
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However, since Beijing's successful bid to host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2015, the protection of the rights of people with disabilities has been greatly developed throughout society.
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The social environment faced by people with disabilities has improved significantly, Yang noted. "Thanks to the Chinese government's great efforts, people with disabilities across the country have been lifted out of poverty, and society as a whole has become significantly more attentive and inclusive of them."
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As for involvement in sports activities, the national participation rate of community sports and cultural activities for persons with disabilities continues to increase from 6.8 percent in 2015 to 23.9 percent in 2021, according to the white paper "China's Parasports: Progress and the Protection of Rights" released by China's State Council on March 3.
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The white paper shows that China's rehabilitation, fitness and sports services for people with disabilities continue to improve. As of 2020, a total of 10,675 fitness demonstration sites for persons with disabilities have been built, 125,000 social sports instructors for persons with disabilities have been trained and developed, and 434,000 households with members with severe disabilities have been provided with services such as rehabilitation sports in the home.
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In China, the country with the largest population of the physically challenged in the world, the Paralympics have had a profound impact on the group.
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In 2022, 96 athletes represented Team China in all six sports and 73 events, which is China's largest ever delegation dispatched to a Winter Paralympics, nearly four times the number of athletes at Pyeongchang four years ago.
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Observers point out that the outstanding achievements of Chinese Paralympic athletes have brought them into the public spotlight, and it will certainly be more conducive to the development of social security and services for people with disabilities in the future.
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As the government and the entire society are willing to increase investment in the cause, it is important that China's future social development will pay more attention to the protection of the rights of people with disabilities in daily life other than in Paralympics, Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Sunday.
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More than athletes
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Although both the Winter Olympics and the Winter Paralympics have concluded, their physical legacy will continue to serve the Chinese people and their spiritual legacy will continue to inspire the world.
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On the closing day of the Paralympics, the Beijing 2022 organising committee's spokesperson Yan Jiarong said at a news conference that the venues are getting ready to open to the public as soon as possible, with many venues planning to open to the public before May, so the public can experience the real scene of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.
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"The Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic venues belong not only to the athletes, but also to everyone who loves sports," she said.
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Opening the venues to the public after the Games is an important aspect of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics' practice of sustainable development. Most of the venues for the Beijing Winter Olympics were converted from venues from the Beijing 2008 Summer Games 14 years ago, maximizing the use of the Olympic legacy, and the venues for the Winter Games will continue to be used by spectators from all over the world.
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If the Olympic Games show the highest level of human development, the Paralympic Games embody the limits of human overcoming obstacles, Zhang Yiwu told the Global Times. More importantly, at a time when the international situation is rapidly changing, China's successful hosting of the Winter Paralympics not only keeps humanity in pursuit of higher goals, but also brings the value of solidarity to the forefront, Zhang said.
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These spirits will continue to influence the world like the legacy left to China and the world by the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, observers said.
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Beijing, the city fulfilling its promise once again after it successfully held a Summer Olympics, a Summer Paralympics, a Winter Olympics and a Winter Paralympics, sent off the Paralympic flag on Sunday night.
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But many moments will be remembered: When records were broken, the moving moments on the field, times when the global audience forgot their troubles and applauded a group of people, the thoughtfulness of the staff and volunteers - they were a light to the world divided by the pandemic.

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