Hong Kong rider Nelson Yip said Tuesday that he would strive for the best at the 2008 Paralympic Equestrian which will be launched in the city on Sept. 7.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Yip, the only local equestrian sportsman qualified for the Paralympic Games, said that he would do his best during the competitions.

Equstrian Nelson Yip Siu-hong with a disability relays the torch on a horse during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch relay in Hong Kong, south China on May 2, 2008.

"The greatest meaning for a rider joining the Paralympic Games is to overcome one's physical limitation and to reach a high level," said Yip, adding that every competition is a chance for himself to improve from his insufficiency and to make improvements.

The Paralympic Games only include the dressage discipline and athletes are classified into five grades -- Ia, Ib, II, III and IV. Grade Ia athletes have the most serious impairment while Grade IV athletes are the least impaired.

Yip, who needs to walk with a pair of sticks, will be a Grade II dressage rider competing in the Individual Championship test and Individual Freestyle test. He will be required to do walk and trot with his horse at the competitions taking place at the main arena located in Shatin.

Due to his incapability of controlling lower limb muscles, the 40-year-old athlete will use a horsewhip and his voice to give the horse instructions in place of his legs. Specially designed stirrups will also be used to fix his lower limbs' position.

Bee Chan, Yip's instructor, said that Yip's competition partner,20-year-old horse Icy Bet, is at good condition and he believed that if everything runs smooth, it will not be a problem for Yip to give his best performance in the Games.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2008)