On July 7-10, 14 university professors met at the Olympic Training Hotel in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in northeastern China to plan the next phase for the Special Olympics China University Initiative. The partnership is a collaboration between selected universities from around China and the Special Olympics East Asia program. Led by SOEA Managing Director George Smith, Professor Lu Yan (Beijing Sports University), and Dr. Glenn Roswal (Jacksonville State University), the Special Olympics University Partnership provides resources to introduce Special Olympics in university physical education programs. The 14 professors are leading the university effort to recruit and train university students to coach Special Olympics athletes and conduct Special Olympics events. The Shenyang seminar provided the professors with the opportunity to (1) share ideas about including Special Olympics content in the university physical education curriculum, (2) design practical experiences for university students with Special Olympics athletes, and (3) discuss revisions to the Special Olympics China University Curriculum, a resource designed specifically to assist the professors teach Special Olympics in their classes. During the seminar, the professors also had the opportunity to observe the Special Olympics China Regional Table Tennis Tournament in which athletes from China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Macau competed. The University Initiative, which was introduced just last year, has been very successful in introducing a variety of Special Olympics courses, workshops, and class units at universities in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shandong, Shenyang, Harbin, Nanjing, and Inner Mongolia.

Participants:

Zhang Yanging Minority National University, Beijing

Lin Tong Beijing Physical Education University

Xu Li Tianjin Physical Education University

Jin Chang Long Shanghai Physical Education University

Lu Zhong Fan Liao Ning Physical Education University

Li Xiao Xia Shandong Physical Education University

Zhang Lan Shandong Physical Education University

Zhuang Mao Hua Harbin Physical Education University

Sun Biao Nanjing Physical Education University

Lin Zhe Inner Mongolia Physical Education University

Dia Xin Capital University, Beijing

Li Young Gin Nanjing Physical Education University

Lu Yan Beijing Physical Education University

Hu Aiben Shanghai Physical Education University