BEIJING - Canadian athletes may take home less hardware from the Beijing Paralympics than from past Games, but medals won may mean more because of an increase in competition.
  
Veteran wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc says the value of a Paralympic medal has increased because the level of dedication and commitment has risen as more athletes compete at the Games.

The Paralympics can no longer be considered the weak cousin to the Olympic Games, she said.

"That means the value of these medals is, in many events, the same value as an Olympic medal," said the Montreal resident who is competing in her fifth and final Paralympics. "You can qualify that by the number of countries, by the number of athletes and the depth, and how close the competition is.

"To me that's very positive."

Competition at the Beijing Paralympics begins Sunday with more than 4,000 athletes from 148 countries competing in 20 sports. Gold medals will be awarded in 472 events.

The 2000 Paralympics in Sydney attracted 3,881 athletes from 122 countries. Four years ago in Athens 3,806 athletes competed from 135 countries.

Canada is sending a team of 143 athletes plus 120 coaches and mission staff to China. The team's goal is to win enough medals to finish among the top five countries.

Canada finished third in medals at the last two Paralympics.

Swimmer Stephanie Dixon of Victoria shook her head when comparing how hard it will be to win a medal in China compared to her first Paralympics eight years ago in Sydney.

"I think there is a lot more hard work that needs to go into it," said Dixon, 24, who was born with one leg. "When you are the best out of thousands people instead of the best out of hundreds of people, obviously it means more to you.

"Each time the competition increases it's going to mean more. You had to fight that much more to get that medal. The time between first, second and third is getting less and less. You have to focus on those small details to get ahead."

Petitclerc said the credibility of the Paralympics has been helped by reducing the number of categories in events like swimming and athletics.

"Twenty years ago, I saw events where there wasn't (enough) athletes in one class to make a podium," said the 38-year-old who lost use of both her legs in an accident when she was 13. "Truly that was embarrassing.

"Twenty years ago you could manage to go through to a semi and final without being a full-time athlete. Right now, every athlete that makes it to a final . . . is an athlete that trains six days a week, twice a day. It does give a right value to a Paralympic medal."

The Canadian men's wheelchair basketball team will be looking to win a third consecutive gold medal at the Games.

Veteran player Richard Peter of Vancouver said there was a time when everyone knew the championship game would be played between Canada and the United States.

"Now you can say there are five, six, seven or eight teams that can have a good run at it," said Peter, who was injured in a bus accident as a four-year-old. "Every tournament has gotten stronger and stronger.

"Everybody is getting better and better."

Canadian athletes collected 72 medals, including 28 gold, in Athens and 96 medals, 38 of them gold, in Sydney.

Debbie Lowe, the Canadian chef de mission, said Canada has lowered its medal expectations for these Games for a couple of reasons.

First, other countries have increased their support for Paralympic sports. Also, Chinese athletes are expected to dominate the gold medals at the Paralympics much like they did in winning 51 gold during the Olympic Games.

Petitclerc said no one knows just how good the Chinese will be.

"We haven't seen them all," she said. "We don't know how fast they are.

"We know they have invested tremendous amounts of money, energy and equipment into the Paralympic programs."

Besides men's basketball, the Canadian women's wheelchair basketball team will be looking to rebound from a bronze medal in Athens after winning gold in the previous three Paralympics.

Canada is also expected to be strong in goalball, where the women's team are the two-time defending gold medallists, on the track and in the pool.

Just like the Olympic Games, the Chinese government has spared no expense or energy for the Paralympics.

Venues like the Bird's Nest stadium and Water Cube, which were used at the Olympics, will also host Paralympic events. Like at the Games, sailing will be held in Qingdoa and equestrian in Hong Kong.

All Olympic signs have been removed and replaced by Paralympic logos. Posters of Olympic athletes in the main press centre have been switched to Paralympians.

Even the markers designating the special lanes on the freeways have been changed to IPC from IOC.

"I love that," said Dixon. "It is just showing it (the Paralympics) is at the same level as the Olympics and it deserves the same amount of recognition and credibility."

Natalie Du Toit of South Africa and Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka are the only athletes in Beijing who'll appear in both the Olympics and Paralympics. Du Toit, whose left leg was amputated above the knee after a motorcycle accident in 2001, won five gold medals and a silver at the Athens Paralympics, and finished 16th in the 10-kilometre swim in last month's Beijing Olymipcs. She'll be a strong favourite again.

South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, known as "The Blade Runner," failed in his bid to race in the Olympics but will run in the Paralympics.

Wang Wei, executive vice-president and secretary general of the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, said over US$100 million has been spent on the Paralympics.

Of the 2.1 million tickets available for events, over one million have been sold.

"The demand is very high," Wang told a news conference.

Ticket prices range from a high of $12.50 to a low of $4.70, he said.