Six years is not enough to change everything, he said, still a "lot of work has been done".

More, however, needs to be done to educate the public and the media to change their perception about the physically challenged, he said. After all, in a developing country like China most of the people have never heard of the Paralympics or seen the disabled play much sport, he said.

People have to enjoy the Paralympics just like they enjoy the Olympics, he said. The IPC has been trying to help "Paralympians achieve excellence and inspire and excite the world", and make the Paralympics as competitive and exciting as any other sporting event.

About 4,000 athletes from 148 countries and regions will compete in 20 events at the Beijing Paralympics.

The very high competitive level of the Paralympians is surprising, Craven said. "For example, the fastest male runner takes about 2 hours, 5 minutes to complete the marathon, while a wheelchair runner takes less than 1 hour, 30 min - which means he is 40 percent faster."

"Once you watch the competition you will be amazed and inspired and excited."

To his delight, there will be over 1.6 million spectators at the Beijing Paralympics. The attendance in Sydney was 1.2 million and in Athens, 850,000.

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