Taipei: The Deaflympics 2009 set to open later Saturday in Taipei will provide fair opportunities for each person's value to shine through, an organizer of the sports event has said in a TV show.

"What disabled persons want is not pity but fair opportunities, " said Emile C.J. Sheng, CEO of the Taipei Organizing Committee of the 21st Summer Deaflympics.

According to Sheng, the meaning of the Deaflympics lies in the impression that Taiwan will leave the world after the event's conclusion. What the organizing committee has been working hard to achieve is to build a stage that allows hearing–impaired athletes to shine in front of the world, he said.

The pre–recorded program will be broadcast on the Christian cable channel Good TV on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Huang Ching–yi, publisher of the semi–weekly newspaper the Christian Tribune, also said on the show that while the needs of disabled people have often been neglected, the holding of the Deaflympics in Taipei can help change the public's perception of this disadvantaged group of people.

Fei Wen–chi, mother of Deaflympic badminton player Fan Jung–yu who suffers from microtia, said she is very thankful for the assistance provided by the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation in helping her daughter undergo a course of treatment for the congenital deformity of the outer ear.

Fei said the treatment allows her daughter to remain competitive in society despite her disability.

Huang Cheng–chang, a coach of 2005 Deaflympic gold medalist Tseng Shu–ning, said compassion and patience are crucial to establishing a close partnership with disabled athletes, which helps reduce the time spent on communication.

The Deaflympics 2009 in Taipei, which is slated to run through Sept. 15, is expected to bring together about 4,000 athletes from 81 countries around the world.

The games will feature 20 sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, bowling, cycling, football, handball, orienteering, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, beach volleyball, water polo, wrestling freestyle, wrestling Greco–Roman, karate, judo and taekwondo.

To welcome overseas visitors, the Taipei City government has launched a special program in which Deaflympics athletes, guests and volunteers are provided free or discounted admissions to 14 tourist spots in the city, according to the city's Department of Information and Tourism.

The seven spots offering free admission are the National Museum of History, the National Taiwan Science Education Center, the Taipei Zoo, the Water Park, the Guandu Park, the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, and the Taipei Story House, the department said.

Meanwhile, Deaflympics spectators are being offered discount coupons for 60 restaurants in the city, it said.

They are required to download in advance the coupons available at www.taipeitravel.net/2009taipei–travel/index.html and have the official seal stamped on the coupons at the service centers of any of six competition venues.

The coupons can be found through the site's Chinese language home page by scrolling over the orange icon at the bottom right of the screen. Click on the word "coupon" that appears on the list of choices below the orange icon.

Source: http://www.etaiwannews.com