When the Paralympic flag was handed over to Sydney in 1996, the organizers had insisted on the principle that all core services for the Paralympic Games be delivered by the same staff and same team that would deliver services for the Olympic Games. This move paid off. Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village, and enjoyed the same catering services, medical care and facilities. Ticketing, technology and transport systems for the Olympics were seamlessly extended to the Paralympics.

Sporting performances were of an unprecedented standard. With 550 gold medals to be won, the 18 events on the Sydney 2000 Paralympic program brought forth more than 300 world and Paralympic records. The Games set a new precedent in webcasting, with the public being able to watch some 100 hours of Paralympic competitions through WeMedia's video streaming service on the Internet. Users across 103 countries logged in to catch the webcast. The official Games website attracted an estimated 300 million hits during Games time.

(Picture from beijing2008.cn)