(Beijing, January 20) The "Good Luck Beijing" 2008 Wheelchair Basketball International Invitational Tournament was opened in the National Stadium on January 20. The barrier-free facilities in the venue are very complete, basically meeting the requirements of the tournament.

There are working areas for Paralympics sports federations in National Indoor Stadium, an athlete changeroom, an official rest room, a medical classification room, a wheelchair storage room and an artificial limb maintenance station etc. All these main functional rooms have reached the requirements for construction.

With regard to audience seats, there are altogether 195 barrier-free seats in the venue, including 158 barrier-free seats in the audience area (62 of them are opened in this tournament), 32 Paralympics big family barrier-free seats and 5 media barrier free seats.

With regard to service facilities, there are altogether 28 barrier-free bathrooms, including 15 in the audience area, 8 in the athlete and official area, 2 in the media area, and 3 in the VIP area and box audience area. Besides, there are 4 barrier-free special lifts, barrier-free slopes, low telephones and low service desks in the venue, and sidewalk for the blind and barrier-free passages outside the venue.

According to the results of consultation between the IPC and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, the standards for the barrier-free passages in the living wheelchair activity area are at least 1.2m in net width and 0.8m in the width of doors, with the proportion of barrier-free slopes being no larger than 1:12; the standards for barrier-free passages within the competition area are at least 1.8m in net width and 0.9m in the width of doors, with the proportion of barrier-free slopes being no larger than 1:20. Currently, all facilities in the National Stadium have reached the above standards.