Beijing 2008: Special Olympics World Summer Games to open in Shanghai (photo attached)

The Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, the city that will host the Special Olympics in 2007 Photo By: Remy Gros


The Special Olympics World Summer Games, which will celebrate the abilities and accomplishments of people with learning disabilities, will be staged in Shanghai from 2nd to 11th October 2007.

It is anticipated that over seven thousand athletes from no less than one hundred and sixty-nine countries will participate in fifteen disciplines on offer.

Furthermore, there will be forty thousand volunteers, three thousand five hundred event officials plus thousands of families, volunteers, spectators and journalists from every continent.

Programme

Sports in the Special Olympics Summer programme are: aquatics (swimming and diving), athletics, basketball, bowling, cycling, equestrian, football (soccer), gymnastics (artistic and rhythmic), ten-pin bowling, handball, power lifting, roller skating, softball, tennis and of course table tennis.

Difference

The Special Olympics and Paralympics are two separate organizations; the Special Olympics offers all year round sports and training opportunities for all learning disability levels.

Paralympics provides elite only level sports competition for multi-disabled groups including physical, blind and deaf.

Development

Founded in 1968 by Eunice Shriver Kennedy, sister of United States President, the late John F. Kennedy, the Special Olympics began life as a series of summer camps for people with learning disabilities. Since those fledgling years, the Special Olympics movement grown worldwide and now encompasses one hundred and sixty countries and over two million athletes.

In twenty thousand communities throughout the world, for three hundred and sixty five days a year, the Special Olympics provides training and competition in thirty Olympic based sports for those with learning disabilities from age eight to eighty.

IOC Recognition

The Special Olympics was recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1988 and it is the only sports organisation authorised by the IOC to use the word 'Olympics' in its title.

Nowadays the Special Olympics is universally recognized and has the support of many celebrities. Film stars Colin Farrell, Eva Mendes and Bruce Willis are official Games spokespersons, along with Hong Kong pop star Karen Mok and Chinese film stars Vicki Zhao and Xu Zheng.

They join a premier group of international Special Olympics supporters who include California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; boxing legend Muhammad Ali; Olympians Scott Hamilton, Nadia Comaneci, and Bart Conner; performers Vanessa Williams and Rev. Joseph Simmons; and North American Basketball sensation Yao Ming.

Opening Ceremony

Producer of the Opening Ceremonies will be produced by the award winning Don Mischer.

A man of experience, his credits include the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2002, Emmy Awards telecasts, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grand Opening of Euro Disney and the Hong Kong '97 Spectacular celebrating the city as it reunified with China.

Star Studded

The event will take place in the eighty thousand seater Shanghai Stadium and will feature: star-studded entertainment, the Parade of Athletes and the lighting of the Special Olympics cauldron by law enforcement officials from around the world.

China Makes History

China, which also will host the 2008 Olympic Games and will become the first country in history to host the Special Olympics World Games, Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, all within the span of just twelve months.

Focus on China

The focus is on China as the country plays a major humanitarian role.

People from different cultures will meet; they will meet in the true spirit of competition. New friendships will be forged, friendships that will last a lifetime and sport will demonstrate that the peoples of the world can live in harmony.

(Credit: ITTF. Click here for further information.)