Madrid 2016 bid to understudy Beijing Paralympics

Madrid 2016 bid organisers set to take lessons of Beijing Paralympics to the future.The team leading Madrid's bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games has returned to Beijing for the Paralympics to learn as much as possible to help the Spanish capital deliver the best possible Games for Paralympic sport in eight years time.

Bid chief Mercedes Coghen is experiencing the full range of Paralympic events in Beijing to see how Madrid can meet the promise to deliver a Games for everyone of all backgrounds and abilities.

"The Beijing Olympics was a wonderful experience for us all," said Mercedes, "It demonstrated how important it is for any host city to have an impressive infrastructure and strong organization to ensure success.

"This is every bit as true for the Paralympics and one of the main themes of our bid is the Human Touch, the Games where everyone can live the Olympic and Paralympic dream.

"We want all our venues and the athletes village offer everything athletes with a disability could wish for and we want to inspire young people of all abilities to be involved in sport in the future - that would our the greatest legacy." she said.

Mercedes, herself is a former Olympic gold medallist, is fully aware of the joy associated with receiving the highest possible sporting honour. "It's about people," she says, "and we are truly inspired to ensure our event is the "Games of the People" and this will resonate with sports people around the world.

Sport brings people together to live the values of equality," she said.

Madrid 2016 Paralympic Bid Sports Coordinator Mariano Ruiz is part of the top level Spanish delegation visiting Beijing.

The fourfold Paralympic medalist said:" I have been fortunate to experience what it is like to compete at this level and I have been very impressed with what I have seen in Beijing.

Our challenge now is to learn from Beijing to ensure that Madrid delivers the best Paralympics possible in 2016."