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From September 6th to September 17th, Beijing is once again hosting athletes from around the world. Over 4,200 athletes - from six different disability groups - from 148 countries are taking part in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games. Not only are the sports divided into events, but the events are divided into different disability categories, to even out the playing field as much as possible. The slogan for this years Paralympic Games is the same as the one for the Olympics held just last month: "One World, One Dream". ( 36 photos total)
Germany's Marc Schuh pushes to start off in the Men's 400m T54 (spinal cord disability) competition for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games held in Beijing, China, Monday, Sep. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Ping Yali (bottom R), the first Paralympic gold medallist in China's history, carries the torch during the opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games at the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" in the Chinese capital on September 6, 2008. (FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP) #
Performers take part in the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games at the National Stadium on September 6, 2008 in Beijing, China. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
Artists perform at the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Paralympic Games at the National Stadium on September 6, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Chien-min Chung/Getty Images) #
The American Team enters the field during the Parade of Nations portion of the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Paralympic Games at the National Stadium on September 6, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Chien-min Chung/Getty Images) #
Hou Bin of China, a Paralympic Gold medallist climbs a rope to light the Paralympic flame during the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games at the National Stadium on September 6, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images) #
Brazil's Severino Silva (#8) defends against Spain's Jose Lopez (#7) who tries to connect on a shot in front of Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio Vasconcelos Ribeiro (L) in their men's 5-a-side football match during the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games on September 9, 2008 at the Olympic Green hockey field in Beijing. Brazil defeated Spain 1-0 in a sport where each team fields four blind players and one sighted or visually impaired goalkeeper. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) #
Brazil's Damiao Ramos (C) and Marcos Felipe (L) appeal to referee Jean Luc Lescouezec (R) of France in their game against Spain in a men's 5-a-side football match during the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games on September 9, 2008 in Beijing. Partially sighted players wear blindfolds to allow competition on equal terms with blind players. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) #
Mickens Donte of the United States competes in the Men's Group A Preliminaries Goalball event between the United States and Brazil at the Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium during day three of the 2008 Paralympic Games on September 9, 2008 in Beijing, China. Goalball is a game played by two teams of three partially sighted or blind players. They try to score goals with a large ball containing bells, allowing players to hear oncoming throws. (China Photos/Getty Images) #
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