With the Beijing Paralympics drawing near, US Paralympics athletes are losing no time to further polish their performances. In an exclusive interview with our Washington correspondent shanshan, the Chef de Mission of the US Paralympics delegation, Jeff Underwood says the US team aims at recovering from the low points in the previous Paralympics and reach for the top of the medal count in Beijing. Here is shanshan with more.

This year marks the largest ever Paralympics Games ever. In Beijing, a total of 4,000 athletes from around 150 countries will be competing in 20 sports. The US is sending a strong delegation of 213 athletes for competition in 18 different sports. Jeff Underwood, Chef de Mission of the delegation, outlines the goal of the team.

"We expect to do strong in basketball, rugby and track. We certainly hope to do better than we did in Athens, where the US total medal count dropped to the 5th. Overall, for many years through the 80s and 90s we were leading the medal count. But we dropped off in Athens and Sydney. We really hope to work our way back to the top of the medal count."

Underwood says it is an incredible honor for him to be named Chef de Mission for the 2008 U.S. Paralympics Team. He has never been to Beijing, and is highly anticipating the trip. That's a major reason why he followed the Olympic coverage night and day on TV.

"Just from what I see on TV, Beijing is a dynamic place. I think you can attribute some world records to the facilities themselves. Obviously the organizers in Beijing have created an environment that's very conducive to top-level athletic performance. It appears that support from local community is very strong."

Jeff Underwood says from what he has seen and heard, Beijing has done a good job in providing a high-quality living and competing environment for Paralympics athletes. He believes Beijing will hold a wonderful Paralympic Games as it did for the Olympics.

"I think early on there were concerns about accessibility. Obviously for the Paralympics athletes, particularly those who are wheelchair athletes or visually impaired. They are concerned about their ability to get around, not at the venues and not at the village, but out in the local community. I know some athletes have been there within the last 6 months, and their impressions have been that the city has done a good job related to accessibility."

Underwood says the U.S. Olympic Committee is making a tremendous investment in building the Paralympic movement in the country. That commitment has helped significantly raise the awareness of Paralympic programs since 2004.

SS, CRI news, Washington.