Sports rehab center for disabled kids opens in Tibet

A sports rehabilitation training center opened recently in Chamdo city in the Tibet autonomous region, becoming the region's first physical rehabilitation training center for disabled children.

Located in the Chamdo City Special School, the establishment of the center is jointly launched by the Tianjin TIANTI Youth Sports Public Welfare Development Center, the Tianjin University of Sport from Tianjin municipality, the Chamdo City Education and Sports Bureau, and the Chamdo Special Education School.

Wang Jian, dean of the school of social sports and health sciences of Tianjin University of Sport, said that the training center is designed for children with cerebral palsy, physical disabilities, autism or audio-visual impairment.

"Through strength training, movement posture control, coordination and balance training, we aim to improve sports ability, to encourage special-needs children to get more involved in society, and improve the life quality of these vulnerable groups," said Wang.

The Tianjin TIANTI Youth Sports Public Welfare Development Center and the Tianjin University of Sport have raised more than 400,000 yuan ($62,000) of donations for the project.

Ma Xiaowei, who is responsible for running the center, said games and various sports activities are being developed to get children enthusiastic about joining it.

According to Ma, who is also a faculty of the Tianjin University of Sport, the center has been carrying out welfare services in Chamdo for three years, and they have carried out physical fitness monitoring for more than 10,000 Tibetan children. More than 300 special children have received rehabilitation training.

As the mother of an 11-year-old child, Ma has been continuously using her holidays to work with disabled children in Tibet in the last three years.

"I could not spend my holidays with my child in the last three years, but I am pleased and proud with my choice to spend time in Tibet with children who needed our help," she said.

"I think it's more meaningful to spend my holidays like this."