"Beijing Olympics" and "Paralympics" have become the popular vocabularies in the Czech media and hot topics in the Czech republic these days, said some Czech journalists who also hoped the Paralympics will be the same successful as the Beijing Olympic Games.
"Beijing Olympics is a real wonderful and unique Olympic Games," Ivan Cerny, president of the Czech Association of Travel Journalists and Publicists, said in an interview with Xinhua recently.
The Beijing Olympic Games absolutely show the excellent image of China, according to Cerny.
Nobody can obstruct the development of China in spite of some critical sayings about the country in the Czech republic, he added.
"I sincerely hope the Paralympics will be the same successful as the Beijing Olympic Games," he said.
Petr Skala, from the daily Melnicky denik, told Xinhua that Beijing Olympics and Paralympics absolutely change the image of China among the Czechs.
"They (Czechs) begin to look on the development of China from different point of view...they are more objective (on issue of China) than before, I think," said Skala, who considered that the Olympics in Beijing are successful and incomparable.
Skala was particularly impressed by the one-legged high jumper, Hou Bin, who climbed hand-over-hand to the roof of the Bird's Nest stadium to light the Paralympic flame during the opening ceremony.
He was also moved by the 11-year-old girl, Li Yue, who danced ballet with a large ensemble. The girl was trapped more than 70 hours in the rubble and lost her left leg in the Sichuan earthquake in May, but never gave up her dream of being a ballerina.
He admired the athletes' spirit of competition in sports as well as their strong will in fighting disabilities in the whole life so much, saying that the achievements of the disabled athletes even cannot be exceeded by the abled people.
"They can do what the normal people cannot do," Skala said.
While talking with Xinhua, a reporter from a Czech female magazine spoke highly of the performance of the Czech Paralympic delegation.
"They are so excellent. I look forward to more medals from Czech athletes," she said, adding that she looks through the Paralympic information every day.
Until now, the Czech delegation has won six gold medals, two silvers and 13 bronze, to rank 16th on the overall medals table at the Beijing Paralympics.
"Anyway, Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing are the hot topics these days," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2008)