Canadian boccia player Joshua Vander Vies and his girlfriend Dalia Mykolaitiene, an assistant to boccia players, watch the preliminary rounds of the competition yesterday. [China Daily]

Joshua Vander Vies may not have qualified for this year's Paralympics, but his inspirational appearance at the boccia venue Sunday shows he has never fallen short when it comes to the spirit of competition.

After placing 11th in the 2004 Athens Paralympics, the 23-year-old Canadian narrowly failed to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

But he to came to China anyway - just to back his teammates and soak up the spirit of the Games.

"Paralympics is a celebration of sports, which is so positive. I want to be a part of its energy," he said, dressed in white sportswear and sitting in the first row of the grandstand on the opening day of competition at the Fencing Hall of the National Convention Center yesterday.

The university student says the Paralympics can often be more exciting and inspiring than the Olympics.

"It is great to see the amazing athletes, who have had to overcome obstacles in their lives, do incredible things in their sports. People can be more inspired by them than Olympic athletes," he added.

He was born with no legs and severely disabled arms, but refuses to view his life as a sob story.

"The cause doesn't matter, it's about focusing on the facts," says the budding politician.

Vander Vies has always been active, thanks to parents who insisted on treating him like any other son, and challenged him to never do less than his best.

When he was a boy, his father built a play center in the back yard to encourage him to climb its stairs, cross a bridge and whisk down a slide as fast as he could, always striving to beat his previous best time.

He started to train as a competitive swimmer at the age of eight and took part in shot put, discus and javelin when he entered high school.

But later on he decided to focus on boccia and won the 2003 Boccia Canada Championship before representing his country at the 2004 Paralympics.

Deriving from the popular Italian game of Bocce, boccia tests an athlete's hand-eye coordination in a game not too far removed from lawn bowls.

It is played indoors with a set of 13 hand-made leather balls on a flat surface.

The sport can be played by individuals, pairs or teams, with the goal of rolling colored balls closest to a smaller white one (jack).

"I love the game, as it is a combination of strategy, position and technique. You have to outsmart your opponent," he explained.

Despite suffering jet lag, Vander Vies enjoyed the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics at the Bird's Nest on Saturday night.

Even though he wasn't officially a part of it this time, he was highly impressed once again by the sight of athletes from all over the world gathering in a spirit of peace and harmony.

"If countries could act like the way Olympics and Paralympics do, there would be a lot of better places in our world," he commented.

Away from his sporting career, Vander Vies is now majoring in political science and French at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

"I have an ambition - to enter politics and become a member of parliament. I want to show people that perception is not always everything," he said with confidence.