CBM-supported athlete takes swimming Gold in Beijing

Chinese Paralympic athlete Xie Qing has won a Gold medal in the Women's 100m freestyle[1] event at the Paralympic Games in Beijing. CBM visited the visually-impaired swimmer and athlete in May to present her and other athletes with assistive devices through a collaboration with the China Disabled Persons’ Federation.

Qing, 20, who also took part in the Women’s 50m freestyle event, won the 100m event outright to take China’s fourth Paralympic swimming Gold in a new world record of 8.96 seconds. As she was awarded her medal, the swimmer, who said it had not been easy to reach this moment, was overcome with emotion.

She offered her thanks on behalf of all Chinese athletes with a disability for the support she has received from CBM, saying that the orientation programme provided by CBM to blind athletes had been a great help to the athletes during the Games and that she is glad to be involved with CBM.

“I am able to walk alone by using only a cane. My sense of direction is further strengthened. At the same time, CBM provides various aid facilities which are beneficial to us athletes with a disability, whether in training or in daily life,” she said.
 

 

[1] For a link to the results table for the S11 event, please click on the following http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/INF/SW/C73A1/SWW131101.pdf
 

Congratulating Qing on her performance, CBM international board chairman Wolfgang Fischer said: "Xie Qing is a hero, a role model and an inspiration for all those persons with disabilities not yet convinced of their own abilities. Not only that, she is a real, tangible example to society as a whole of what people with disabilities can achieve if given the opportunity to do so.”
 
Fischer added that it was a great pleasure and privilege for CBM to partner with the CDPF to provide material support to the Chinese athletes who competed in the 2008 Paralympic Games as well as to the many other Chinese persons with disabilities to empower them to improve their lives and achieve their goals.
 
“The Paralympics serves as an essential part of the effort to create worldwide awareness of the talents and gifts that Persons with Disabilities have as active and valuable participants in society. The Paralympic Games are a wonderful public demonstration of focusing not on “Disability”, but “Ability”. This is the way the whole world should be seeing Persons with Disabilities,” he said.
 

Rolf Mueggenburg, CBM Asia director, who presented Qing with the assistive devices prior to the Games, said: "It was obvious to us the fortitude and courage of this young woman when meeting her for the first time prior to the Paralympics. In realising her dream, and winning Gold, she has fulfilled her own hopes and those of her supporters, as well as the whole disability community worldwide. I hope she will continue to be motivated to represent Persons with Disabilities, and us all, in Sport and in other areas at the highest level.”