PARALYMPICS PREVIEW:BEIJINGERS ARE relishing the heroic performances and bountiful bunting of recent weeks as much as they are enjoying the extraordinarily clean air, and the citizens of the Chinese capital are getting ready to welcome 4,200 athletes for the Paralympics, which begin with a lavish opening ceremony tomorrow.

Ireland has 48 hopefuls in the competition, which runs for 10 days from Sunday, and true to form, they are managing to make more noise than their much bigger neighbours on each side, France and Egypt, and are winning the flags contest by around five to one.

Among the Irish athletes, there is a strong sense of restlessness now the biggest event in their sporting calendar is so close. A feeling prevails that the work and preparation has been done and it is a question now of maintaining mental strength. Motivational posters around the Irish block in the village say it's time to "taper", to focus on getting the job done.

"The critical phase has been the last two or three weeks, and everything has fallen into place. We've no injuries and no major concerns and even though there are nine sports, there is a feeling that this is one big team," said Liam Harbison, Paralympic performance director.

Based on the Athens Review report, Ireland's Paralympians should be targeting 12 finalists and four medals, but the athletes are keen to spare themselves that kind of additional pressure and few in the camp are thinking much beyond putting in a personal best performance.

"If they do that, medals will follow," said Harbison.

Morale is high, with spirits still buoyed by the powerful welcome they received upon arrival in Beijing from the victorious Irish Olympic boxing team.

"This is an elite-level competition. It's not easy to win medals and our guys are busting a gut. It's a real achievement to have gotten here," said Harbison.

An example of just how close the Paralympians can run their Olympic counterparts is sprinter Jason Smyth, whose speed in the 100 metres and 200 metres makes him Ireland's answer to Usain Bolt. The partially sighted runner is second only to Paul Hession on the 100 metres rankings. He is the world champion and world record holder in the T13 100 and 200 metres events and is favourite to win two medals in Beijing.

Also tipped for great things is Michael McKillop (18) from Glengormley, who is the 800 metres world record holder.

Two of the youngest competitors in the Irish camp, and indeed at the whole event, are swimmers Ellen Keane (13) from Clontarf and Darragh McDonald (14) from Gorey.

"The Water Cube pool is just amazing. It's a 25-metre pool but it feels like a 50-metre pool, it's so fast," said Keane.

McDonald is keen to get started. "We've been training for months and months and it's time to show off that training," he said.

The team to beat in the Games, just as in the Olympics, is the host country. China entered just 24 athletes when the country returned to the Olympic fold in 1984, for a return of just two Paralympic gold medals.

In Athens, China won 141 medals, 63 of them gold, topping the table.

As well as the athletes, more than 6,000 journalists, coaches and officials are expected to attend the Paralympics.

Throughout Beijing, posters, emblems and mascots have already been changed in the 20 venues, of which 11 are new - four have been converted for the Games and five are temporary.

Wheelchair-friendly London cabs with distinctive Beijing taxi livery are waiting outside the Bird's Nest stadium and buses fitted with ramps cruise the city. The air is still wonderfully clean - the odd-even system of number plates and the widescale factory shutdown continue until nearly the end of the month.

Beijing has one million disabled citizens, according to organisers, and has undergone a three-year programme to improve accessibility at stations, hotels, hospitals and shops. Among the measures taken has been the lifting of a ban on guide dogs in Beijing for the two months covering the Olympics and Paralympics.

According to the Beijing organising committee, half of all tickets for the Paralympic events have been sold. All events at the Bird's Nest Stadium and the Water Cube are already sold out. This should mean a good audience for the Irish athletes during their events.