Qiao Meili in Special Olympics activity

Qiao Meili

Qiao Meili, the Special Olympics Global Athlete Leader, a young girl from Shanghai, was recently nominated for the \"You Bring Charm to the World—2007 Most Influential Chinese\" Award. The award was sponsored by 12 mainstream Chinese language media and organizations from mainland China, Hong Kong Southeast Asia, United States, Canada and Europe, including Phoenix TV, Sohu.com, Beijing Youth Daily, and Peking University, to honor outstanding Chinese from different walks of life. Since its successful launching last year, the award has become an annual important event among the Chinese world. Today our reporter interviewed Qiao Meili by the telephone.

Thank you, I will do my best

  One can clearly feel over the phone, that Meili was excited about the honor. She said that she never thought of the fact that she could be linked with the award. “I thank you so much and I know that there is much to be improved, but I will do my best to live up to it.” Meili really has worked hard in all her sport items as well as in all aspects of her life.

Special Olympics changed my life

Qiao said that in the 16 past years in her life the most memorable thing is becoming a Special Olympics athlete, that brought about to her so many opportunities: In 2003 she witnessed the signing ceremony of contract for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, hosted two dinners in honor of sponsors in Beijing and Shanghai respectively, and together with the SOI founder launched the SO website; On Feb. 26^th, 2004 she attended the Nagano Global Youth Summit in Japan and there, as a reporter, interviewed the former US president Bill Clinton; In June 2004, together with her fellow student Wang Weiqing, hosted the opening ceremony of SOEA Regional Football Tournament; In the 6^th SO Shanghai City Games Meili once again hosted the opening ceremony with Mr. Cai Junyong, the deputy secretary of Shanghai Municipal Government. She said:” Special Olympics gives me self-confidence, helping me grow from a timid girl to a confident Special Olympics athlete leader.”

  In the Economic and Social Affairs Council Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York everyone was amazed to hear Qiao say on top of her voice “My name is Qiao Meili, I am from Shanghai, please support and attend the 12^th Special Olympics World Summer Games”

2007 “I know I can”

For Meili, 2007 was a busy year. As a global SO athlete leader, Meili was shouldered with the solemn responsibility of spreading out the Special Olympics spirit. In her capacity of the SO global messenger, Meili said she had participated in a number of great events where she told that she would bring Special Olympics to every corner of the society, letting everyone else like herself to know that the change happened to her, may happen to them too.

Meili’s hopes:

  She has started learning to play Er-hu, a Chinese string musical instrument, and hopes one day she can play beautiful music for others to enjoy. Another hope she cherishes is to learn to become a baker to earn her own living in the future.