PARIS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Paralympic Games were a splendid sports event presented by China, a French official said Friday.

    "We should pay tribute to the Paralympics," Valerie Letard, secretary of state for Labor, Labor Relations and Solidarity, saidin an interview with Xinhua.

    Letard, who returned to Paris with the French Paralympic delegation on Thursday, said China did not treat the Paralympics in a way different from the Olympics and spared no efforts to makeit an equally successful event.

    A lot of barrier-free facilities were built in Beijing for the Paralympics to provide convenience for disable people and athletes, she said, adding that she was also deeply impressed by the Paralympics' opening and closing ceremonies.

    She said she was especially moved by Li Yue, the 11-year-old one-legged Chinese girl who did ballet dancing with a large group of mute ballerinas at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

    The girl was trapped for more than 70 hours under the rubble and lost her left leg in the May 12 massive earthquake in Sichuan province, but she refuses to give up her dream to become a ballet dancer.

    The Beijing Paralympics had provided not only a good time for people, but also a stage for disabled athletes to display their extraordinary sports abilities, Letard said.