PARALYMPICS /
News
Spanish authorities hail Paralympic performance
Xinhua
Updated: 2008-09-17 14:23
MADRID -- Spanish Sports Minister Jaime Lissavetzky said on Tuesday that the performance of the Spanish disabled athletes at the Beijing Paralympic Games was "outstanding."
According to information reaching here, during a press conference in the Gym of the University of Beijing, Lissavetzky said that "the causes of the good result are the sportsmen and coaches."
However, Lissavetzky also hailed aspects like the Support Plan to the Paralympic Objective Sports (ADOP) and the use of high performance centers "which have been fundamental."
Lissavetzky said that 40 percent of the medals won by Spain come from sportsmen who are training in high performance centers.
Spanish disabled sportsmen have broke nine world records, 15 European records and 70 Spanish records.
Till September 16, Spanish delegation was on ninth place of the medal table with a total of 58 medals (15 gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze).
According to Lissavetzky, the women's sports "is the great pending subject in our country." The Spaniard woman participation "has been of 24 percent and they have achieved a 27 percent of the medals."
The future "must be more promising than the current" and goes by the "investigation, facilities improvement and to widen the number of disabled people in the Paralympic sports."
Lissavetzky said that with these Paralympic Games they will pass to history because "have worked very well", 308 world records and 429 Paralympic records have been broken.