Beijing hands Paralympic baton to London

The 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing ended as it began – with a spectacular ceremony featuring stunning choreography, fireworks, drama and music.

More than 90,000 spectators watched the Paralympic flame extinguished and the Paralympic flag handed from International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Sir Philip Craven to London’s Mayor, Boris Johnson.

The closing ceremony also featured a London segment, with the same London bus that had featured in the Olympics closing ceremony, and dancers from the inclusive dance company CandoCo.

This time, though, the segment included TV presenter and Paralympic medallist Ade Adepitan, and a tribute to one of Britain’s greatest disabled heroes, Lord Nelson.

It marked the end of a Games in which almost 4,000 athletes from 147 countries competed in 20 sports, for 472 gold medals.

The IPC reported that 1.9 million tickets were sold during the Games, with another 600,000 tickets given free to children and education and community groups. It said the opening and closing ceremonies were sold out, as were all the swimming events and most of the athletics.

The Games ended with Britain second in the overall medals table, with 102 medals, 42 of them gold. China topped the table with 211 medals, 89 of them gold.

ParalympicsGB’s chef de mission, Phil Lane, described his team’s performance as “exceptional”.

He said: “I think by anyone’s standards, our performance has been impressive. China has made a huge investment in Paralympic sport. For us to have managed to stay on their coat-tails is extraordinary.”

London’s Mayor praised the achievements of Britain’s team and pledged to make London 2012 the most accessible Games ever.

He said: “The fantastic achievements of our Paralympic team at the Beijing Games have surpassed the country’s wildest expectations, adding to the pride we all felt watching TeamGB reel in their haul of medals last month.

“They have delivered for us – now we must deliver for them, and for all disabled Londoners and visitors.”

And he called on all London businesses, such as shops, restaurants and hotels, to begin to think about how they can make their goods and services “as accessible as possible in time for and to reap the benefits of the 2012 Games”.

Yesterday (Wednesday), he met members of the ParalympicsGB team in Beijing and pledged top quality facilities in London in 2012.

He said he has been examining the Paralympic facilities in Beijing to see what has worked and what can be improved upon for London’s Games.

He said: “It would be nothing short of a disgrace if the 2012 Games were less accessible than those we have witnessed here in Beijing, so we must listen to any concerns that arise as we continue our planning and building.

“Accessibility in 2012 is not an optional extra, it must be at the centre of our work.”

Photo credit: Ren Yong/Xinhua