Johnson & Johnson, a sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, in partnership with the Wheelchair Foundation, recently announced the donation of 1,000 sport wheelchairs to the China Foundation for Disabled Persons (CFDP). These specialized wheelchairs will be distributed to 20 community organizations and centers across China that work with people with a disability. The sport wheelchairs will help give more athletes and citizens with a disability the opportunity to achieve a healthy lifestyle through sport.

“Johnson & Johnson is extremely proud to support the Paralympic Movement and its goal to create a better world for people with a disability,” said Owen Rankin, Vice President Corporate Equity and Olympic Sponsorship, Johnson & Johnson. “In the spirit of Yin Ai Er Sheng, we are delighted to donate sport wheelchairs that will enable more people in China to benefit from the power of sport to help build confidence, set goals and lead a fulfilling life.”

The President of CFDP Jiang Shangzhou received the donation on behalf of the organization. Jiang stated: “We hope that more and more organizations and people will strive to improve public welfare programmes for people with a disability. Through care and support, we can help people overcome adversity to live life to the fullest.”

Following a donation ceremony, two Wheelchair Basketball players held a clinic for young people with a disability. These young people practiced with the new sport wheelchairs and learned the fundamentals of Wheelchair Basketball from the players. The clinic provided more than just the basics, with the players sharing their own inspiring stories and talking about the important place that sports have played in the own lives.

In attendance were officials from CFDP, BOCOG, and executives from Johnson & Johnson and the Wheelchair Foundation.

Beyond supporting Paralympic sports development efforts in China, Johnson & Johnson is supporting the athletes and medical staff of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Several Johnson & Johnson companies support the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Polyclinic, which helps keeping athletes, coaches and other members of the Paralympic Family healthy during the Games. Furthermore, Johnson & Johnson companies will support the athlete dental screening programme and provide state-of-the-art eye exams to evaluate and optimize athletes’ visual skills. Johnson & Johnson companies will also install diagnostic and sterilization equipment, supply over-the-counter and prescription medicines, provide sports medicine products, offer health education and provide amenity kits to all participating athletes. In addition, the Johnson & Johnson Paralympic Games Pavilion and its 'Caring World' exhibit is open to visitors to the Olympic Green until 17 September.

The 'Caring World' features a series of eight high-tech, multi-media exhibits that demonstrate how the Company celebrates the spirit of caring to create a healthier world. Through touching personal stories, striking imagery and novel technology, the Pavilion conveys how caring for others makes life more meaningful. The culmination of the Pavilion experience is the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warrior exhibit, which exemplifies the Company’s commitment to the community. In celebration of the long partnership between Johnson & Johnson and China’s Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Army Museum to protect and preserve these precious relics, five authentic Qin Shi Huang Terracotta soldiers will be on display at the Paralympic Games Pavilion.