HONG KONG -- Nelson Yip, Chinese Hong Kong's only qualified athlete to compete in the Beijing Paralympics equestrianism in his home city next year, had been training hard and said he was confident of good results in the games.
"I can see constant progress each week," he said.
Yip, 39, partnering his 19-year-old horse Icy Bet, would contest the dressage event next year.
Yip suffered cerebral palsy at a young age and his legs failed him thereafter. That, however, doesn't keep him from going in for sports.
"Five days a week you will find him at the public riding school in Tuen Mun," an official with the Information Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said in an online article released Wednesday.
Starting riding six years ago, Yip has competed in Australia, Japan, Canada and Britain. He and Icy Bet were the overall grade II session B champion in the Australia RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) National Dressage Championships in 2005.
Yip said he was confident he would perform good in the Paralympics next year because he thought "a rider has to set a goal and overcome any hurdle while at the same time enjoying the whole process."
Yip said he was glad Hong Kong had been given the opportunity to co-host the Olympics and the Paralympics, adding it would be a unique experience for Hong Kong as well as himself and it would mean more public interest and better infrastructure.
"We hope to maintain Icy Bet in good form as he usually loses weight in summer. But the competition will be held in the early mornings and late evenings to avoid the heat," he said.
With the competition nine months away, Yip said it was too early to feel over excited or nervous.
"Up to now I think my focus is on improving my quality of riding, but because the competition will be held locally, I will meet a lot of friends and family members inside the arena, with spotlight coming from the media."
KK Yeung, chairman of Riding for the Disabled Association, described Yip as a modest sportsman and hoped his efforts would pay off with a medal.
"He understands he has to improve. Also he has determination. As a sportsman he needs to be determined to better himself," Yeung said.
