Skills competition provides outlet, showcase for disabled

China will hold its seventh national skills competition for the disabled from June 27 to 29 in Jinan, capital of the eastern province of Shandong.

The event is organized every four years, and this year's edition has attracted 950 competitors from 32 delegations, up 58 from the previous iteration.

Among the 950 competitors, the oldest is 59 years old and youngest 16. About 51 percent of competitors are physically disabled; 30 percent have hearing or language disabilities and 3 percent have visual impairment.

According to the China Disabled Persons' Federation, one of the organizers of the event along with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, competitors should be of working age — males 16 to 59 years of age and females from 16 to 54 — hold a registered disability certificate and be in stable health condition.

Those who have already been honored with State-level awards in previous competitions are not allowed to compete, the federation said.

Twenty-eight events in five categories are included in the competition, such as computer programming and cosmetology. Nine events including network information security, drone operation and domestic services have been added to the competition for the first time, while seven have been removed, including massage.

Xie Hongde, a senior official from the federation, said at a news conference on Monday in Beijing organizing the competition is a test for the nation's progress in vocational education and skills training for the disabled.

"It will encourage disabled workers to learn new technologies and master new skills for better working performance, and increase their contributions to the nation's development," he said. "The competition offers a stage to let the disabled show their skill, perseverance and tenacity, which will create a better social atmosphere of caring for disabled people."