Beijing Paralympics: Did you know that...?

The opening ceremonies of the Beijing Paralympics were no less spectacular than the extravaganza that greeted the world at the beginning of the Summer Games on August 8. Did you know that more than 2,000 children participated in the opening ceremony on Saturday? Or that Haiti is one of several countries that are joining the Paralympic Games for the first time? Here are some other interesting facts about the Paralympics that you might not have known.

1. The Paralympics, which will run from September 6 to 17, will have 472 medal events in 20 sports.

2. 147 countries have sent delegations to participate in the Games, including Burundi, Gabon, Georgia, Haiti and Timor-Leste which will be participating for the first time. It will also be the first Paralympics where Serbia and Montenegro will field separate teams.

3. Female athletes comprise about 35 percent of the 4,000 athletes competing.

4. The Paralympics has its own mascot – the cuddly and colorful Fiu Niu Lele (Happy Cow).

5. Rowing will be on the programme for the first time.

6. There were 850 torch bearers for the Paralympic Torch Relay held over ten days.

7. There are more than 30,000 Paralympic volunteers, some of whom are disabled themselves.

8. The organizers will carry out more than 1,000 doping tests during the course of the Games.

9. The opening ceremony featured more than 4,500 performers, 420 of whom were disabled.

10. Hou Bin on his way to light the Olympic cauldron (Image: China News Service)Unlike in the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics, the athletes entered the Bird's Nest after the initial fireworks show and viewed the 50-minute artistic performance with the audience.

11. Li Yue, an 11-year old who performed the ballet seated in a wheelchair, lost her leg during the May 12 Wenchuan quake. She was trapped under the rubble for more than 70 hours. Paralympic organizers decided to include her among the performers to symbolize the people of Sichuan who never gave up on their dreams.

12. The performance entitled Festival featured 2,200 children between the ages of eight and 12. They are all proficient in Chinese kung fu as they all come from the Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School.

13. Hou Bin, China's wheelchair-bound triple Paralympic high jump champion, hoisted himself up on a rope to light the Olympic cauldron. Hou will not compete in this year's Paralympics as his event has been canceled due to lack of participants.