pushingthelimits.com

The Chinese have come under a fair bit of criticism during the build up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games this year in Beijing, not least for their hand guide to disabled people for event stewards and volunteers at the Paralympics:

” Some physically disabled are isolated, unsocial and introspective; they usually do not volunteer to contact people. They can be stubborn and controlling; they may be sensitive and struggle with trust issues. Sometimes they are overly protective of themselves, especially when they are called `crippled’ or `paralyzed.”‘ 

We’ll chalk that one up to using dodgy online translation tools and never having read Dizabled, it’s OK China we still love you, but only because your food is completely awesome.

Each time the Paralympics roll around there is a little more press interest and recognition for the athletes taking part, hopefully this year will see some events aired at prime time on national TV stations. Though we wont hold our breath for that one. One way China has gone further than previous host countries is by making a pretty impressive website dedicated to the Paralympic Games themselves.

With just over a month to go until the opening ceremony, the site has gone live and looks to be a pretty comprehensive guide to events and schedules.

There’s still a few cringe worthy gems to be found deep in the site though, our personal fave is a perfectly cheesy and patronizing music video with the inspirational title “Everyone is Number One“.

Right China, that’s it, we need to talk…what’s that, General Tso’s chicken? OK, we love you again.

Beijing 2008 Paralympics Official Website