China switches to Paralympic mode

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:08:42 BST

bbc.co.uk Accessibility Links Skip to content Skip to bbc.co.uk navigation Skip to search Access keys help bbc.co.uk Navigation Search Home TV Radio Talk Where I Live A-Z Index Skip to main content Access keys help Help Contact us Paralympics 2008 Main Next China switches to Paralympic mode Tanni Grey Thompson 2 Sep 08, 10:08 AM Within 36 hours of the Olympic Games closing ceremony the flags in the city of Beijing were changed to Paralympic ones . The message that I have seen in Beijing is that things happen here fast . I came here a couple of years ago when the foundations of the athletes' village were being dug and it seemed impossible that anything would be ready . If the rumours are true , in the last two years there have been 200 new hotels built in Beijing and in the past six months many underground stations have been made accessible for disabled . people Since my first visit to Beijing there have been many dramatic changes , not just physical ones , but more attitudinal ones . Last time , there was barely a dropped kerb in sight , and now there is more tactile paving than I have ever seen in my life . I was out and about in the city a couple of days ago and ramps that