words katherine reedy

Hong Kong's Paralympians go for the gold.

The logo of the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee is an abstract figure astride a futuristic wheelchair. But HK's all-star Paralympians want you to know they're more than this simplified view of a disabled athlete.

"It's common that people believe you should be in a wheelchair. They think disabled people cannot take care of themselves, cannot express themselves, they have to stay at home and wait for their mom to cook their food, but it's not like this," says Yu Chui Yee, a multiple gold medal-winning fencer at the past two Paralympics events in Athens and Sydney. In fact, wheelchair fencer Yu, who is now 24, can walk, and was once a Paralympic swimmer, but she switched sports in 2001 after seeing fencing on television. "I found it is an amazing sport. You have to use your mind to defeat your opponent," she said.

Yu and her fellow HK Paralympic athletes – 21 in all this year – have several levels of responsibility to juggle as they travel to Beijing to uphold Hong Kong's record at the games, which take place from September 6-17. Like other athletes, they have their own pride and their loyalty to their homeland, but they also have a mission to represent the disabled - in HK and worldwide.

The roots of the Paralympics grow out of the years just after World War II, when a German-born neurologist named Sir Ludwig Guttmann began holding sporting events for British soldiers who had suffered spinal cord injuries in the war. In 1960, the Paralympics - “para” for “parallel” - were instituted alongside the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Thousands of physically disabled athletes have competed since, and the parallel Games now stand second only to the Olympics as the biggest sporting event in the world.

Hong Kong's Paralympians have a polished reputation in the elite international sporting event. In Sydney in 2004, HK's paralympic athletes hauled in 19 medals, including 11 gold, which put them at 17th in the overall country rankings. In comparison, Hong Kong has pulled just one gold and one silver spot in its Olympics history. (While there are major differences in the level of competition, Paralympic officials strongly note that, “Not everyone wins a medal.”)

Yee's fellow wheelchair fencer Chan Yui Chong secured three golds and one silver in 2004, and she is keenly aware of HK's success: “I think is the hard work that we have done so far... We treasure everything we have and drive [ourselves] to upkeep the achievement of Hong Kong Paralympians.” Wheelchair fencing, according to Yee, may be harder than upright fencing – the wheelchairs are stationary, giving the players no chance to dodge and jump to avoid the swordpoint.

Patrick Ng, Hong Kong's Chef de Mision for this year's Paralympics, has been involved with the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled for 30 years. He remembers a time when disabled athletes did not have the opportunities they now do. "In the 50s and 60s, we didn't have much support from the government or from the community, maybe because of attitudes towards the disabled. Gradually people changed, changed attitudes," he said. "Because of our progressive and accomplishments, we got recognition from the government and the community. Now we are not too worried about money, because we get quite a lot of funding from the government, and from the private sector and sponsors."

Part of their funding goes to the athletes themselves, who train heavily and depend on sponsors for their training, and often living, money. Paralympians often get involved in sports for the disabled through summer sports programs offered by the Sports Association for the Physically disabled, but when they begin entering elite rings of competition, their training rivals that of the non-disabled.

Leung Yuk Wing, who will participate in boccia at the Beijing Paralympics, said he has “regular trainings three times a week, and intensive training nine to five on Sunday.” Boccia, similar to the lawn sport bocce ball, involves throwing leather balls at marks on the playing area. As it requires minimal physical exertion, it's a popular choice among the severely disabled.

Even given Leung's dedication and effort spent on training in the sport, he is disappointed by Hong Kong's lack of recognition for it. Like Yu Chui Yee, he has faced “I think the general public as well as Hong Kong people do not know anything about boccia,” he commented.

But it's not all about prowess and triumph, as is often the case in the Olympics themselves. Ng said getting physically disabled people involved with sports when they're young is a form of rehabilitation on several levels - physical, emotional, and social. "There is change beyond rehabilitation - In addition to health, sport can help them mentally and socially as well. As a whole I think sport is a good mechanism to help the disabled."

Sprinter So Wa Wai has cerebral palsy, but his muscular physique rivals that of any star runner. But even he has benefited from the program: through his involvement in the Paralympics, he's learned how to communicate more clearly. "The Paralympic spirit, the Paralympic Games slogan, means we are disabled but we can achieve. Paralympics means parallel. Although we are disabled, if we try our best we can achieve the same goals as the able-bodied," said So, who has competed in the Games since 1996 and won a gold and two silver medals in Sydney.

For Patrick Ng, awareness of the challenges and opportunities inherent in the lives of the physically disabled is behind the push for Paralympics support. And as for the cute cow that stands as the symbol for the Beijing Paralympics, Ng says it represents the strength and tenacity of the athletes. He's proud of their work. "In the current scenario, there are different levels of competition. Paralympics is at the top."