With over 4,000 participants from 144 delegations already confirming their participation, Beijing is going to kick off the largest-ever Paralympics on Saturday.

"We are looking very much forward to the Games. With more countries than ever, more sports than ever and more athletes than ever, that's great news for the Paralympic Movement," said Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in a press conference on Saturday.

"There going to be tremendous sports event and incredible opportunity for Paralympians to just show what they can do and how they can perform. They are very much equal to their Olympic peers," said Craven

According to the statistics fired by Wang Wei, the executive vice president and secretary general of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), 3,599 sports entry forms were sent in by 148 Paralympic Committees and 4,032 athletes have been registered of their entry. It is estimated that there will be 147 countries and regions participating in the Beijing Paralympic Games.

"We are anticipating another two or three delegates arriving today because tonight we will have the athletes' parade at the Opening Ceremony," said Wang, also the spokesman of Beijing Paralympics.

Craven was very pleased with Games preparations, in particular the transition. Setting the reception work in the airport as a example, Craven said, "The way the teams have been received, the speed of which they will be moved to potentially very tiring situation for a long flight is brilliant. BOCOG have introduced one or two assistants on the airport, but we never advised them to do."

"The accessibility in Beijing has been a major progress made already and far more work will be done after the Games. So I am looking forward to coming back to Beijing next year, or the year after, to see the additional progress," added Craven.

(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2008)