Paralymic Games Unveiled

Fu Niu Lele, the mascot of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, was unveiled on September 6 during a ceremony at the foot of the Badaling Great Wall. The event was also meant to start the two-year countdown to the opening of the Beijing Paralympic Games.

 

Solicitation for designs of the Beijing Paralympic Games mascot was launched on August 5, 2004. Modelled after a lovely young cow, Fu Niu Lele, as a Ògood-will ambassadorÓ of the Chinese people, has the ÒtaskÓ of offering friendship people with disabilities the world over.

 The Beijing Paralympic Games will be held on September 6Ð17, 2008. More than 1,000 people attended the ceremony, including ranking officials from both the central and local governments, as well as representatives of the PLA troops stationed in Beijing. A bevy of foreign diplomats also attended the ceremony.

Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), spoke at the ceremony. He is a member of the all-powerful Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and  secretary of the Beijing Muniicipal CPC Committee. 

The mascot, Liu Qi said, epitomizes the Chinese tradition of Òalways striving to become stronger.Ó Like the 2008 Olympic emblem that features the Sky, Earth and Man, Fu Niu Lele highlights the spirit of the theme slogan ÒOne World One DreamÓ for both the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.

The BOCOG president called Fu Niu Lele a Ògood-will ambassadorÓ of the Chinese people. ÒIt wishes, on our behalf, the disabled all over the world happiness, peace and good luck,Ó he said.

Liu reffirmed the pledge of the Chinese Government and people to stage a Òhigh-levelÓ Paralympic Games, making it an event with distinguishing features to promote the Paralympic Movement and other undertakings.

Deng Pufang, president of the China Disabled PersonsÕ Federation and an executive president of BOCOG, said the unveiling of the mascot  proved that the preparatory work for the Paralympics had been going well.

ÒI believe that the mascot will help knit closer the hearts of all those interested in the Paralympic Games,Ó he said.

In designing the mascot Wu Guanying, professor of Fine-art School, Tsinghua University, was inspired by the farming culture that characterized the ancient Chinese civilization. According to BOCOG officials, the image of Fu Niu Lele has the following salient features:

(1) It demonstrates the concept of the Beijing Paralympic Games

The cow is symbolic of a down-to-earth, diligent, staunch and never-say-die spirit, which is being employed to express the unremitting spirit of athletes with disabilities in doing their best.  It dovetails with the upbeat spirit of Paralympians and the concept of ÒTranscendence, Equality, IntegrationÓ of the Beijing Paralympic Games.

The determined, optimistic and diligent spirit of the animal reflects a positive approach toward life. The Paralympic Games support the desire of people with a disability to enjoy the same rights to compete in sports as anyone else, to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world. In this way, they add vigour and vitality to social progress.

(2) The mascot embodies harmony between man and nature.

Cows are well-known for their friendliness for the humans who raise them. In Chinese poetry and paintings, they are often depicted as a part of the cosy country life, as a popular desire for harmony between man and nature.

(3) The design scheme incorporates modelling and design styles unique to ChinaÕs folk engraved prints, New YearÕs drawings and toys. Meanwhile, techniques for designing modern cartoon figures were employed to suit the tastes of people in our times.

With the unveiling of the mascot, franchised mascot products and stamps went on sale nationwide.

The Beijing Paralympic Games will open 13 days after the 29th Olympic Games end on August 24. It will be the largest of its kind, with 4,000 athletes with a disability competing in 20 events for a total of 471 gold medals. Beijing will host 18 of these events. Sailing competitions will take place in Qingdao, and equestrian events, in Hong Kong.