Peng Yulian of China and Yip Sui Hong of China's Hong Kong will make Paralympic Games history when they enter the Shatin equestrian competition arena during the five-day events starting here on Sunday.
Both Grade II riders are making their debut in the Paralympic Games, and it is also the first time that China and China's Hong Kong have fielded riders in the Para-dressage events.
Peng, 22, suffered from poliomyelitis at an early age, which left his legs paralyzed. In overcoming his disability, he trained in archery and played wheelchair basketball in his secondary school years, and also took up riding.
He progressed so well that in March 2006 he became a member of the national Para-equestrian squad. He competed in last year's World Championships in Hartpury, England, and learned much from the experience. He won both the individual championship and the freestyle in the Guangdong International Para-equestrian Dressage Championship in March.
Yip, 39, has difficulty in using his legs because of cerebral palsy. His attraction to riding began with a visit to the local Riding for the Disabled Association when he was eight years old, which gave him an opportunity to learn about horses. But it was not until 2001 that he decided to take up riding.
His motivation grew after he attended a riding camp in Wales in 2002. A year later he competed in the Japan Asia Pacific Dressage Championships in Kyoto, where he scored well. An important success came in 2005 when he finished first in freestyle and musical dressage in the Australian Riding for the Disabled Association's National Dressage Championships.
Peng and Yip will compete in the Grade II individual championship and freestyle tests on Sept. 8 and 10. Peng rides Furstendonner Af, an eight-year-old stallion while Yip partners 20-year-old gelding Icy Bet.
Development and promotion of the sport in China take place under the auspices of the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities.
More people are encouraged to take up riding as the sport becomes more widely promoted.
In Hong Kong, the sport has been growing steadily through the efforts of the Riding for the Disabled Association in conjunction with the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation.
(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2008)