Special Olympics Volunteers Jack Gaybrick & Kush J & Katherine Tsen Hiu Yung
On June 19th 2010, the East Asia region of the Special Olympics took part in a Sports Day hosted by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in China at the Canadian International School in Beijing. Under the hot summer sun, volunteers and Special Olympic staff members helped lure passersby to partake in a golf putting game after they signed up as fans of the Special Olympics. Even with surrounding booths of all shapes and sizes along with a noisy community soccer game going on in the background, volunteers were able to flag down over seventy signatures and never let a contestant leave without making a putt. Volunteers and directors of the Special Olympics were thrilled to see such avid prospective member participation from the still untapped Beijing market.

Special Olympics Athlete JiaSiRui
I made a speech at the opening ceremony of the event addressing two core values in the Special Olympics: acceptance and respect. I told them my story and spoke about where I saw those important principles in my work experiences. I told everyone about how because of the Special Olympics, I was not only able to find a job and support myself but also able to find acceptance and respect at work. Many of my colleagues helped me and encouraged me. During my stay in Morocco we had lunch in the desert. Each group was served absolutely amazing food in separate tents and after the meal we rode camels. It was my first time riding a camel and I enjoyed it so much I rode two camels, a small one and a big one. It was a great activity for many of the Special Olympics athletes because it was something we had never done before. Although the weather in Morocco was very hot and I did not speak the local language, the people there are very warm and welcoming.

Special Olympics Athlete Li Meng
Hello, everyone! I’m Li Meng, a student from Special School for Children of Mental Retardation in Xuanwu District, Beijing. I took part in the track and field events at the 5th Special Olympics National Games, and won one gold medal, one silver medal and one bronze medal respectively. I was lucky enough to attend 2010 Athlete Leadership Programs University this term. In the weekly training process, Mr. Zhang from Beijing Sport University was hardworking and patient enough to teach us how to play tennis and how to be a good caddie. I learnt a lot about tennis knowledge and skills. Through the activities at training camp, I also learnt how to be an anchorman and how to take part in games. Besides, I made friends with quite a few training camp participants. I enjoyed this experience very much.