When the Olympics and Paralympics come to China, which has the most Internet users in the world, they have earned unprecedented attention and popularity with the help of the Internet.
Just as they did during the August Olympics, all major Chinese portal websites give real-time, comprehensive and in-depth reporting to the ongoing Beijing Paralympic Games, running tens of thousands of news stories, photos and audio-video clips each day.
For the country's 253 million netizens, sometimes it seemed more enjoyable to learn about the Games via the Internet, which has such unique advantages as being speedy, diversified, individualized and interactive in the spread of information.
Some Chinese websites claimed they were updating the Olympics and Paralympics-related information as fast as live TV broadcast, sometimes even at a faster speed.
Even people who are surfing the Internet for other purposes could easily get the latest information about the Games, mostly from news alert windows that suddenly pop out on the screen.
And if they find the news interesting and want to learn more, there are always plenty of links guiding them to all related stories.
Moreover, modern technologies have made the Internet accessible not only to PCs, but also mobile phones, of which China has some 600 million users.
To attract more visits during the Paralympics, many websites, such as xinhuanet.com, have set up their studios in the Games' press center, and invited athletes and coaches to share their stories online.
The need of people with disabilities is also taken care of -- China's leading search engine Baidu.com launched a voice prompt system for Internet users with visual impairment, so that they can also conduct online search conveniently.
Meanwhile, an online radio program dubbed "1+1 on-line studio for the visually disabled" turned popular during the Paralympics. Initiated by a visually-impaired person, the program aims to deliver Games news to those who have seeing difficulties quickly and sufficiently.
The Internet helps to enhance the interaction between the athletes and spectators at these Games. The Olympians and Paralympians can write blogs to share their feelings and opinions with the netizens, while the spectators can participate in and record the Games through BBS, personal blogs and online forums.
Looking back at the Olympic history, people will find that the Games have served as a mirror of the development of new media and fresh communication technologies. In 1896, when the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, telegraph was used to spread information about the Games. In 1924, radio was introduced at the Games for the first time. TV had its Olympic debut in 1948, and assumed dominance over the past half century.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Internet has gradually grown into an important media platform for the Olympics. Though still far from perfection, particularly haunted by intellectual property contentions and reliability of information, it is set to change more people in their ways to enjoy the Games in the long run.
(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2008)