The United Nations officials on Thursday hailed the athletes to compete in the Beijing Paralympics, which starts in two days, saying they are models of strength and determination.

"The Paralympics are a powerful example of what can be achieved when everyone is given the opportunity to participate and perform to their full potential," said Anthea Webb, the UN Resident Coordinator (ad interim) in China.

"After the Paralympics have finished, citizens and visitors with disabilities will find it easier to get around Beijing thanks to the new sloped curbs and ramps for wheelchair users, braille blocks on sidewalks and special access on public transport," Webb added.

"People living with disabilities are like everyone else, they want to succeed and live independently and we want to help them achieve that," said Constance Thomas, the International Labour Organization Director in China.

Wilfried Lemke, the Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace, will be attending the Beijing Paralympics as the UN Secretary-General's representative.

About 4,500 athletes and coaches from 148 countries and regions will take part in the Paralympics from Sept. 6 to 17.

In China there are over 82 million people living with disabilities, of whom 20,000 are newly disabled as a result of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province in May.

China was among the first nations to sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which came into force on May 3 this year.

On Aug. 30, a Memorial Wall dedicated to the UN Convention, which outlaws all forms of discrimination in the workplace on the basis of disability, was unveiled in the Beijing Paralympics Village.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2008)