Special Olympics Summit is about more than sport
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Nearly 100 scholars, experts and university teachers gathered on Monday to share their experiences and ideas for helping people with intellectual disabilities. They called on the general public and organizers of sports competitions, to focus on acceptance, inclusion, respect and dignity.
"The Special Olympics are more than sports and games. They are a very strong statement of optimism towards life," said Dr. Dicken Yung, a member of the Special Olympics International (SOI) Board of Directors, at the China Special Olympics Summit forum, which was held during the ongoing Fifth Special Olympics Games of China.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that there are 200 million people with intellectual disabilities (ID), making it the largest disability population in the world. "They are usually the most marginalized people in every country," said Yung. "But people with intellectual disabilities can and will succeed if given opportunities."
"We should not underestimate special athletes' capabilities and potential," said Yung, quoting a statistic that showed 109 performances at the Special Olympics World Games in 2007 had reached the entry standards of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"Special Olympics use sports as a platform for people with intellectual disabilities to live with dignity and promote social acceptance all around the world," said Dr. Stephen Corbin, Senior Vice President of Constituent Services, SOI.
SOI has launched a series of new initiatives, such as Young Athletes, Unified Sports, and Project UNIFY, aiming to eliminate the general public's misunderstandings about people with ID.
Such programs not only benefit people with ID and their families, but also society as a whole. A good example was the community program at the Special Olympics World Games in 2007. A total of 19 communities in Shanghai participated in the program, each receiving a foreign delegation. They arranged various sports and social activities for visiting athletes. The experience encouraged them to continue volunteer work after the program ended.
Yung noted that one of the greatest legacies of the Shanghai Special Olympics World Games is the changing of people's attitudes towards voluntary service.
Since 2007, Shanghai has established more than 1,200 sunshine homes to provide 60,000 special athletes with sports, cultural and educational events and counseling services.
Yung spoke highly of China's promotion of the Special Olympics movement. In the past 20 years, China has invested some US$500 million in supporting the Special Olympics at different levels from provincial and regional games to the Shanghai World Summer Games in 2007. It has constructed sports facilities exclusively for Special Olympics events and organized regular competitions as well as non-sport events such as Special Olympics Day, athletes' leadership programs, family support networks and healthy athletes programs.
"Most commendable is that Special Olympics activities are carried out in nearly every province, autonomous region and major city. The total number of special athletes of China has reached almost one million. The Special Olympics makes a real difference in Chinese people's daily life," said Yung.
But there's still a long way to go. "China has set a good example for other countries in the Special Olympics movement," said Yung. "But there's room for improvement. For example, the government should update the current promotion plans to popularize the Movement, and publish key reports in English to share experiences with other countries."
