Dazzling Paralympics set to end in style

China prepared Wednesday to bring down the curtain on a spectacular summer of sport during which it dazzled on and off the track, with the final events and closing ceremony of the Paralympics.

China prepared Wednesday to bring down the curtain on a spectacular summer of sport during which it dazzled on and off the track, with the final events and closing ceremony of the Paralympics.

The eyes of the world will once again be on the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium as Beijing extinguishes the flame of the 13th Paralympics after what the international movement's chief Philip Craven described as a "great Games."

China has dominated the medals table here, standing on 88 golds and 208 medals overall with just a few events still to finish, enjoying particular success in athletics, swimming and table tennis.

Britain, who chased China hard in the early part of the Games, had 42 golds and 102 medals early Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the United States in third place with 36 golds and 99 medals.

China's Paralympics' performance mirrored its efforts at last month's Olympics, where they finished top of the medals table and similarly won similar praise from organisers for staging a well-run and spectacular event.

The Paralympics were lit up by Canadian wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, South Africa's Olympic swimmer Natalie du Toit and Australian swimmer Matthew Cowdrey, all of whom won five golds.

South Africa's sprint sensation Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius also grabbed his share of headlines with a track sprint treble that was completed on Wednesday with gold in the 400 metres.

The athlete, named after the carbon fibre blades he wears, broke his own world record in the event following his earlier wins in the 100m and 200m.

The Games have been widely praised for their superb organisation and the huge crowds that have turned out to watch the sports, particularly at the athletics and swimming.

China has also sought to use the Paralaympics to improve the plight of its 80 million disabled.

Ahead of the event, authorities made Beijing more friendly for disabled people by, for example, setting up the country's first fleet of easy-access taxis and making tourist spots such as the Great Wall accessible to wheelchairs.

Huge efforts were also made to show that China treated the Paralympics with as much importance as the Olympics, including keeping anti-pollution measures such as a partial ban on cars in place.

China promised "Two Games with Equal Splendour," comparing the Paralympics to the Olympics, and International Paralympic Committee chief Craven told reporters Wednesday they had achieved their goal.

"These Games have been great Games. I think everybody realises that," Craven said.

He praised the organisation of the event and the hospitality of the Chinese, saying he realised even before the Games started that there was "something special in the air".

British organisers of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics on Tuesday also praised the "spectacular" delivery of both events.

Controversies over drugs and classification problems were among the few issues to cloud the Paralympics but Craven said the event was "near enough free from doping".

Three out-of-competition doping offences were uncovered in powerlifting but there had been not one in-competition case.

A wheelchair basketball player was sent home by the German team following a positive doping test carried out pre-competition by the German anti-doping commission.