16 athletes to represent Turkey at Beijing Paralympics

In an interview with the A.A, Ibrahim Gumusdal, secretary-general of Turkey's National Paralympic Committee, said on Thursday that they well-prepared for the upcoming games.

"Eight Turkish athletes competed in the games in Athens in 2004 and won one gold and a bronze medal. Now, we are going to Beijing with 16 athletes to win 5-6 medals in the sports of shooting, archery, power-lifting, table-tennis, wheelchair-tennis, athletism and judo," he said.

Gumusdal added that if their athletes were supported financially, they could attend the London Games in 2012 with 30-50 athletes.

Later this summer, over 4,000 elite athletes with disabilities from 150 countries will gather in Beijing for the Paralympic Summer Games, which take place from Sept. 6-17.

The Paralympics ("Parallel Olympics") is about competition, not disability. Since 1988, the games have taken place following the Olympics using the same facilities and venues.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympics attracts global sponsors, issue thousands of media credentials, enforce anti-doping policies, and have built infrastructures for the development of disabled athletes.