With widely used technological innovations such as a bionic arm and a robot guide dog, Hangzhou Asian Para Games in east China's Zhejiang Province have boosted accessibility and inclusiveness for people with impairments, allowing them to take part in sports. 

The authorities said at a press conference on Thursday in Hangzhou that the Asian Para Games offer a great opportunity to promote the development of new options for people with impairments, safeguarding their equal rights and creating a better future for them. 

Yong Zhijun, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese delegation of Hangzhou Asian Para Games, told the Global Times that China has made remarkable achievements in the development of sports for people with impairments and Hangzhou Asian Para Games injects fresh impetus.

"The legal and policy protection of sports for people with impairments has been strengthened, and remarkable achievements have been made in rehabilitation, fitness and competitive sports for people with impairments," said Yong.

"First, what we have achieved is helpful to promote equality for people with impairments in sharing sports; second, it is helpful to promote the popularization and development of sports projects for people with impairments in China; third, it is helpful to show the achievements of cause of people with impairments and the protection of human rights, and promote the harmony, stability and development of Asia; last but not the least, we have created more valuable and sustainable resources for the benefit of the general public, including people with impairments," Yong noted. 

Wang Kai, a Hangzhou citizen with impairments, told the Global Times that the upgraded facilities around the city have made his life easier. 

"When I went to watch the Games, the journey was accessible from getting off the bus to check in and arriving at the match viewing area. The volunteers also helped me a lot," said Wang. 

At the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation won 63 golds, 46 silvers and 32 bronzes, topping the gold medal and overall medal table for the first time. In the subsequent Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation continued their dominance of the medal table.

In 2002, China sent a four-member delegation to participate in the Winter Paralympic Games for the first time. 

In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics, the wheelchair curling team won the first gold medal for the Chinese delegation at a Winter Paralympics. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation ranked first in the gold medal list and overall medal list for the first time.

In September, a national law on building a accessible environment was enacted to promote the construction of accessible facilities and public services, to support people with impairments in participating in public life.

Wang Hongwei, deputy director of the department of publicity and culture with the China Disabled Persons' Federation, told the Global Times that "by providing access to sports, we have safeguarded the rights of people with impairments to participate equally in public life."

Rehabilitation and mass fitness activities for people with impairments at the grassroots level in urban and rural areas of China have seen rapid growth. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the participation rate of people with impairments in community cultural and sports activities nationwide has continued to increase from 6.8 percent in 2015 to 23.9 percent in 2021. 

Yang Yingying, president of the Hangzhou Disabled Persons Federation, told the Global Times that three things need to be done to build on the legacies of Hangzhou Asian Para Games. 

"The first is to further promote the construction of sports facilities for people with impairments, the second is to actively hold sports events and activities for them, and the third is to bolster the training of professionals to serve them," said Yang.

"We have seen a stronger sense of integration. More people with impairments are becoming participants, contributors and beneficiaries of the city's development," she said.