(BEIJING, September 6) -- An estimated 4,000 athletes from over 150 countries and regions will take part in the 13th Paralympic Games in Beijing from September 6 to 17, 2008, the organizers announced on Thursday.

Along with them will be 2,500 coaches, trainers, and technical officials. Also, approximately 4,000 press, photo, television and radio journalists, and relevant technicians are expected to cover the Games, said Tang Xiaoquan, President of the Executive Board of the China Disabled Persons' Federation and Executive Vice-President of the Beijing organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

BOCOG will provide services of equal quality for the athletes of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. In addition, it will, for the first time in Olympic history, bear all international travel expenses of the participating athletes and team officials of the Paralympics, in addition to providing free food and accommodation. And there will be no registration fees for Paralympics sportsmen and women, Tang told a press conference at the State council Information Office.

20 sports including rowing

The Paralympic Games will consist of 20 sports with 471 disciplines. Goalball, boccia, and wheelchair rugby are unique events of the Paralympic Games. For the first time rowing will be included in the Paralympics program. The sailing events will be held in Qingdao, and the equestrian in Hong Kong. The others will take place in Beijing, mostly in universities and the Olympic central area. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has approved the daily competition schedule for the Paralympic Games.

Venue Construction progresses smoothly

The Beijing Paralympics will have 20 competition venues, of which 11 are newly built, four converted from existing venues, and five temporary.

In principle, the Paralympics will use the same competition venues and facilities as the Olympic Games. Non-competition venues and facilities include the Paralympic Village, the Paralympic Family Hotel, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Center (MPC). Venue construction has progressed smoothly up till now.

From September 13-16, 2007 the Good Luck Beijing 2007 International Goalball Tournament will be held at the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium. In January 2008 the Good Luck Beijing 2008 Wheelchair Basketball International Invitational Tournament will take place at the National Indoor Stadium. These events will be a good test of the accessibility of the venues and the quality of team operations.

Venue construction follows the guidelines of IPC technical manuals on Paralympic venues. BOCOG has asked IPC-recommended specialists to inspect and evaluate the accessibility designs of the various venues. To fulfill its bid promise, Beijing has carried out several renovation plans with the support of State ministries. During the Paralympic Games, accessible buses, subway and railway trains will bring the disabled spectators to the competition venues, and people with a disability will find it easier to shop, eat out, stay in a hotel or do some sightseeing.

1.5 million tickets for sale

A minimum of 1.5 million tickets is available for the Paralympic Games. The ticketing program has been drawn up and submitted to the IPC. In general, the tickets will be cheaper than those of the Olympic Games, but the tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will be more expensive than those of the previous Paralympics. BOCOG plans to release the relevant information on Paralympic ticketing in October.

400,000 registered volunteers

It is estimated that the Beijing Paralympics will need 30,000 volunteers. Volunteer recruitment officially began on August 28, 2006. In January 2007, the recruitment outside of Beijing started. On March 28, 2007, recruitment for Hong Kong, Macau, Chinese Taipei and overseas volunteers was launched. By the end of July 2007, the number of applicants exceeded 500,000. Among them more than 80% have also applied as volunteers for the Paralympic Games.

Good start for marketing

There are currently 12 official partners, 10 sponsors, and four exclusive suppliers of the Paralympic Games. In addition, Coca Cola and other Worldwide Olympic Partners will also support the Paralympic Games. Some non-Olympic sponsors have expressed interest in becoming sponsors of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games as well. The sponsorship sales will conclude before the end of 2007.

BOCOG has released over 100 official Paralympic licensed products that have been well received by the public.

Background information

BOCOG was established on December 13, 2001 and is the organizing committee for the 29th Olympic Games and the 13th Paralympic Games. It is responsible for preparing and hosting the various events of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

BOCOG carries out the preparation work for the Paralympic Games according to the guidelines stated in the Olympic Host City Contract. Its goal is to host high-level Paralympic Games with distinguishing features and achieve equal splendor for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

All of BOCOG's functional areas, teams and staff have the two-fold responsibility of carrying out the preparations for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. BOCOG has also established a Paralympic Games department to coordinate all preparations and stay in close contact with the China Disabled Persons' Federation and the IPC.