The upcoming Sochi Paralympic Games will demonstrate disabled people's unlimited abilities and inspire Russia's endeavors to build a barrier-free nation, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Putin, during an interview with local and foreign media published Thursday ahead of the Winter Paralympics, shared his " serious expectations" for the games with reporters.

The Paralympic Games, as the highest-level of competition for disabled athletes, have witnessed increasing audience in recent years. It offers people a rare chance to see that "there is no limit to what people can do even with the limited abilities," Putin said.

Meanwhile, it is also an educational experience for the whole society to teach the right values and push the government to create a barrier-free environment, he noted.

According to Putin, Sochi, Russia's renowned Black Sea resort and the host city for the Winter Games, is the first barrier-free city project in Russia which has been fully implemented.

Putin expected other regions in the country to follow suit and work along the track "in order to create a barrier-free environment nation-wide," he noted.

The Russian leader confirmed that he would attend the opening ceremony of the games scheduled on Friday and said he would also try to watch some competitions such as the sledge hockey and skiing during his spare time.

As for his expectations for the Russian national team participating in the games, Putin said those athletes don't need his recommendations since they are top sportsmen and sportswomen with excellent skills and brave hearts.

Putin also said that the games will draw national attention to the development of sports for handicapped people, while urging the government to do more for people with disabilities.

One key aspect, he pointed out, was to ensure equal employment opportunities for the disabled people. Admitting the government has policies to encourage business to create jobs for disabled people, Putin noted that those incentives are still insufficient.

Therefore, one task of the Paralympics is to enhance the public awareness of the development of sports for disabled people and those people's welfare, Putin noted.

The successful completion of this mission will require " government policies, special-purpose programs, as well as support from media organizations," he concluded.

The Sochi Paralympic Games are slated for March 7-16 with 72 medal events across five sports to be contested, namely alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.

By Thursday, some 547 athletes from 45 countries and regions have confirmed their participation in the games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said.

According to IPC, the Sochi Paralympics are set to break all viewing records, exceeding the cumulative global audience of 1.6 billion that tuned into watch the Vancouver Games four years ago.