The Beijing 2008 Paralympics are expected to be covered by the largest media contingent than any other edition of the Paralympics, said Zhang Qiuping, director of the Paralympics Games Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG).

Some 4,000 journalists or more are expected to be in Beijing for the event, in comparison to 3,000 or so who covered the recent editions of the Paralympic Games, he told reporters in an interview recently.

In light of the practice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding news coverage, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is considering to request the journalists to be accredited, Zhang said.

"We need to make sure how many disabled journalists will come to cover the Paralympics, so that we can make accessible facilities for them," he said.

According to Zhang, in addition to the media, the Paralympic Games will have five more groups of clients, namely the athletes, judges, VIPs, spectators and sponsors. "BOCOG is making detailed arrangements for every group of clients from the moment they alight from the plane to the moment they leave, including their accommodation, training, transport, sightseeing, shopping and other activities," he added.

Giving an example on the seating arrangement, Zhang said seats will be made available to the disabled persons' assistants on the stand of every Paralympic venue.

Although the main aim of their visit to Beijing is to take part in the competitions, disabled athletes are expected to tour Beijing, so that the creation of an accessible environment for these guests is very important, the director said.

It is not realistic to think about building an accessible city in a short time based on China's status as a developing country, however, the Beijing municipal government and BOCOG may formulate a transportation guide to provide them information about which places are accessible, how to get there, how to transfer and so on during the Paralympic Games, Zhang said.

He said the volunteers will provide standard and professional services during the Paralympics, and BOCOG is writing training textbooks.

Dealing with the construction of Paralympic venues, Zhang said the venues will be those for the Olympics except for different symbols.

The Olympic Games will be held from August 8-24 and the Paralympics from September 6-17. BOCOG will display the Paralympic symbols on all venues to be used for the Paralympics during a 12-day transition process from August 25 to September 5.

To make it easier for the spectators, most of the Paralympic venues will be located at the Olympic Green and the university area.

The transition will be marked by a large workload involving the entry of equipment, venue rearrangement, installation of accessible facilities, as well as change of staff.

Zhang said the torch relay route for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games differs from that of the Olympic Games and the relay program will be made public during the second half of 2007. The plans for Paralympic marketing and torch relay are being drawn up and will be released later this year as planned. The torch relay will be held after the Olympic Games are closed.