Putin touts barrier-free Sochi

Paralympics to raise awareness of disabilities: Russian leader

The upcoming Sochi Paralympic Games will be an opportunity for people with disabilities to triumph and demonstrate their unlimited abilities and inspire Russia's endeavors to build a barrier-free nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Ukraine's Paralympic chief, Valeriy Sushkevich, said the country's athletes will stay and compete in Sochi.

"I repeated my one request, the one and most important request, that before and during (the Games) there will be peace," he told a news conference, describing a meeting with the Russian president.

The decision was announced a few hours before Friday's opening ceremony.

Putin told Ukraine's paralympic chief that politics and international affairs must not affect sports events such as the Paralympic Games, the Interfax News Agency reported on Friday.

Putin and Sushkevich discussed "the fact that a sports celebration - like the Paralympic Games - cannot and must not be under the influence of ... the international agenda or politics," Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.

Putin shared on Thursday his " serious expectations" for the Winter Paralympics.

The Paralympic Games, as the highest-level competition for disabled athletes, have witnessed increasing audience in recent years.

It offers people a rare chance to see that "there is no limit to what people can do even with the limited abilities", Putin said.

Meanwhile, it is also an educational experience for society to teach the right values and push the government to create a barrier-free environment, he noted.

According to Putin, Sochi, also host city for the Winter Games, is the first barrier-free city project in Russia that has been fully implemented.

He expected other regions in the country to follow suit and work "to create a barrier-free environment nationwide".

Putin also said the Games will draw national attention to the development of sports for handicapped people, while urging the government to do more for people with disabilities.

One key aspect, he pointed out, was to ensure equal employment opportunities for disabled people.

Admitting the government has policies to encourage business to create jobs for disabled people, Putin noted that those incentives are still insufficient.

Therefore, one task of the Paralympics is to enhance public awareness of the development of sports for disabled people and those people's welfare, Putin noted.

Xinhua-AFP-AP-Reuters