Date/Time: 11:00 a.m., Thursday, September 11

Venue: Main Press Conference (MPC)

Ping Yali and the guide dog 'Lucky'

Xiao Cuijuan enters the press conference hall with the help of Wang Hui, the host of the press conference.

Wang Hui, the host of the press conference

Wang Hui

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen and friends from the media. Welcome to our press conference at MPC. This is a special conference. We have invited four stars to meet you and listen to their stories.

First, let me introduce to you Ms. Ping Yali, China's first gold medal winner in Paralympic Games. She also entered the 'Bird's Nest' and join the torch relay. (I was) impressed so much. Secondly, next to me, Ms. Jiang Xintian, fire collector for Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Her elegance has impressed so profoundly. I am a fan of her. Thirdly, let me introduce to you, Ms. Yuan Yanping, champion of women's +70 kg judo at Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, and also Ms. Xiao Cuijuan, champion at women's 44 kg weightlifting at Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

The floor will be with them soon. I am inviting each and every one of them to tell their stories and answer your questions. First, let me ask them to say a few words. Ms. Ping Yali, you have the floor first.

Ping Yali gives speech at the press conference.

Ping Yali

Good morning. My name is Ping Yali. When my mother was pregnant, she contacted to some virus. So I have a congenital disability. At the age of eight, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. So my childhood was so misfortunate. I had no one to rely on. Every time when I was running on the field, I feel the greatest pleasure.

At the school for the blind, my teacher found that I have a special talent for sprinting. In 1984, years after the opening up policy, in China, we were given a derogative name inside a person with disability. At that time, I made up my determination to do something for the disabled in China. Also to contribute to the sports enterprise, the course of sports in China. I have a strong sense of mission after wining the medal. I become a mother, my son has a congenital eye disease as well, unfortunately.

But I think in everyone's life, it is comparable to an ongoing Olympic Games, inside and outside the field of play. I think our life is like a 4 by 100 meters relay. So for my second leg, I worked for other disabled persons and for the third leg, I began to set up my own chain companies. I can go out more with the help of my guide dog 'Lucky', who is a very good companion.

After the Paralympic Games, I plan to set up two more chain shops of my blind massage parlors so that I can provide opportunity for my disabled sisters and brothers. So with that objective, I will continue to work hard in my own life of Olympics.

Wang Hui

Let me ask Jiang Xintian to use sign language to tell us her story.

Jiang Xintian gives speech at the press conference.

Jiang Xintian

Dear friends from the media, good morning. I am Jiang Xintian. In 1984, I was born in the city of Qingdao in Shandong Province. At the age of one, because of the high fever, I was rejected the gentamycin and I became deaf. I graduated from the secondary school for the deaf in Qingdao. Now I'm an undergraduate for the office automation major at Beijing Union University.

Since the age of 8, I began to join the talk show and fashion presentation. In 2003, I won the top 10 in China region of the 52nd Miss Universe Contest and the highest honor award. I was also awarded as the special image ambassador of Miss World by the Miss Universe organization in New York. Over the past four years, since becoming the moderator of the sign language, I visited a lot of country. For the 2008 Olympic Games, I became the ambassador for the collection of flame together with 3 other companions. I was able to bring to the entire world the splendor and confidence of the disabled persons in China. Thank you very much.

Wang Hui

Let me give the floor now to Yuan Yanping.

Yuan Yanping shows her gold medal at the press conference.

Yuan Yanping

Good morning. My name is Yuan Yanping. I was born in 1976 in the city of Dalian. I was near sighted as a congenital condition. Because of the physical capabilities and talents in high school, I began to practice judo. I was chosen by one of the coaches. After college, because of the overuse of my sight, my sight deteriorated traumatically and I almost lost all my vision. In 2005, I began to prepare for the 2008 Paralympic Games in the sport of judo. Since 2006, I began to join the international competitions and got the champion in 2006.

As well as the sports competition for the blind in Brazil in 2007, I won the gold medals for the 70kg. The year 2008 has been a lucky year for me. I graduated from college with every success with distinctions and I won the Paralympic gold several days ago. I'm very excited to won the gold and it will motivate me to have more accomplishments and greater achievements in other fields of endeavor. Thank you very much.

Wang Hui

Now let us invite Xiao Cuijuan to say a few words.

Xiao Cuijuan shows her gold medal at the press conference.

Xiao Cuijuan

I'm from Fuzhou of Jiangxi Province. I got polio at the age of one and after graduation for primary school, I was chosen by one of the coaches as one of the potential player. I was admitted to the provincial team and later into the national team. In the Athens Paralympic Games, I was bronze medalist. In world championship 2006, I was a gold medalist. At the home court in China, I won the gold medal again. Thank you very much.

Wang Hui

Please show us your gold medals. Two gold medalists. Let us give the floor for the journalists for questions. Everyone seemed impressed by the stories.

Guangming Daily

I would like to address two questions to Ping Yali. Today you have got 'Lucky' to us. In the Opening Ceremony, 'Lucky' was very eyecatching and other guide dogs were among the Chinese delegation during the parade. My question is that can you please talk about your story with 'Lucky'? What is your assessment of the development of guide dogs in China and what are your expectations in this regard? Secondly, you are the first Paralympic gold medalist in China. What do you want to share with the other paralympians in China?

Ping Yali

Let me take your second question. Today, every glory has become the thing of the past. More importantly, we should focus on the future instead of the past. Paralympians today while practicing and training hard should continue planning for their future after retiring from sports, they should be have able to acquire special skill of employment so that in the future they can do something to support themselves so that they can become a Paralympians in their daily life as well. Secondly, so far as guide dogs are concerned, they are new in China. I can still recall that before 1976, Chairman Mao loved so much pork. But pork was rare in China in those times. Since the reform and opening up, even higher demands have been raised. Therefore I began to think the possibility of having guide dogs instead of relying on the minimum wage allowance. At the beginning, I wanted to have a guide dog to help me do the morning exercise and control my weight.

Later, I began to realize that guide dogs can do a lot more and they are good companions of human being especially for the people with disability. We have a guide dog based in Dalian, it is founded by a charity contributor Mr. Wang Jingyu, it is privately owned not for profit charity organization and charity facility. Applications and a lot of person applying for the permission of guide dogs, that is impossible to satisfy all of their needs and demands. But I am confident that with the performance of Lucky during the Opening Ceremony. Lucky got the cheer of 140,000 people and despite the fireworks in the sky, Lucky was still able to guide me in a precise way even there are the noises. So when Lucky was guiding me during the torch relay, I felt the equal amount of pressure as when I won the first gold. Today with the good performance of Lucky, other dogs in the presence of training will receive more training, subsidy and better food. That has been a moment. But you know there was some problem of my torch that day. I was told that it is fully understandable for the blind not to light the torch. But I have to tell them that there was a technical problem on the torch, not on me. The next bearer passed on his torch to me then when seeing that Lucky understood every need I have. Lucky led me to my next destination. The entire ceremony was so smooth. With the help of those kind and zealous, there will be more guide dogs in China to provide better help and services to the blind.

Wang Hui

Thank you very much for your moving answer.

China Radio International

I have two questions. First as a paralympian, physically and psychologically speaking, what is the most profound impact of sports on the disabled? You used to be an athlete, after the Paralympic Games, what do you think will be the legacy on the course and the undertaking for the disabled in China?

Ping Yali

For able bodied persons, to practice their sports for fitness and recreation. For the disabled, they need to participate in sports to survive especially for polio and for blind athletes, after the rehabilitation exercise, if they can raise their leg strength to 2-3 kg, they can walk out their homes, walk down the stairs, and support themselves and do what they like. Physical exercise is a very important catalyst for the disabled to survive. My coach once told me that Ms Ping Yali, although I don't have lots of money, I do think that I'm so lucky that upon retirement, one of the athletes in my team of most of them have been employed at the blind massage parlors in Beijing. Therefore the sport can bring a lot of change and hope for the disabled. So far as the legacy of the Paralympic Games on the undertaking for the disabled back in 2001 when Beijing won the hosting rights.

People were cheering for the successful bid. Actually for us as the persons with disability we have our own agenda, that is today a lot of standardized accessible facilities will be left for us. After the 2008 Beijing Games, those facilities will give us the best facilities to give us people with disability the best service.

Around the Rings

Question for Ping Yali. Since 1984, China has become a lot stronger in the Paralympics in terms of the athletes performance. Why is that? Thank you.

Ping Yali

After the year 1984, I'm very grateful for the government for saying to me that I am the milestone paralympian. We all know that the persons with disability in China are as good as any of us all over the world. CDPF leader Mr. Deng Pufang spend a lot of efforts in working together with several hundreds thousands of persons with disability in establishing various kinds of organizations for people with disability at different level in each locality in China. In the villages, we have organizations for us which strive for our interests and rights. As a result, the request of the persons with disability in China could be made known to the central government with the improving strength of the country as a whole with the efforts made by the Coordination and Leading Office for Persons with Disability. Under the leadership of one of the vice premiers of that country, that is Mr. Hui Liangyu. As a result of all those efforts, there is a clear division of labor for persons with disability in that country. A lot of encouragement has been given to people to do physical exercises. We shared stories with more persons with disability in China, so that we could select among those with disability to establish a national paralympian team. Whenever the achievement is made, the organization for the persons with disability at grass root levels would come up with some rewards. The athletes who have won the medals in the Paralympic Games will be awarded with some appropriate encouragement so that more persons with disability will be inspired to participate in the exercise. In this way, with the time moving on, we get more and more medals in the Paralympic Games.

From:The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games