Chinese Paralympians heading for London

China's Paralympians are keen to battle hard for good results, but also want to act as ambassadors for the country at the London Paralympics, deputy head of the China Paralympics delegation, Wang Naikun, said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The London Paralympic Games will be held from Aug 29-Sept 9 and more than 4,200 athletes will compete in 21 sports and 503 events during that time.

The Chinese delegation has 414 members, including 282 athletes, of whom 134 will be making their Paralympic Games debuts.

Chinese athletes have qualified for 15 sports and the country will be appearing in competitions such as five-a-side soccer, goalball, women's wheelchair basketball and men's volleyball at the Games for the first time.

China was automatically granted slots in all 20 sports as the host country at the Beijing Paralympic Games and won 211 medals, including 89 gold to top the table. Wang said the Chinese delegation would continue to strive for the best results though the events in London would be more difficult.

"We were the host in 2008, and the home advantage is very important in athletic competitions. But the authorities have given the same importance to the London Paralympics as they did to the Beijing Games," Wang said. "Our athletes will carry forward a never-say-die spirit and play their best. They will also take the opportunity to build friendships with athletes from other countries."