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Special Olympics athlete/coach Michael Fan and his mother Angela, also a swimming coach for Special Olympis Chinese Taipei.
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Fan Gin-Chia (Michael)'s first World Games experience (the 1991 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) was a great success. He swam the 50-meter freestyle in approximately 58 seconds — and won the gold medal. His mother Angela was so moved by her son's performance that she vowed to do everything possible to help him compete again at another World Games. Although she had never been a swimmer, she trained to become a swimming coach for Special Olympics Chinese Taipei.
She succeeded in her goal; Fan competed in the 200-meter freestyle, the 100-meter breaststroke, the 100-meter backstroke, and the 200-meter mixed and men's relays at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in North Carolina.
While he loves competing, he says his greatest joy came when, like his mother, he became a Special Olympics Certified Coach and started working with the younger children in the program. In addition, he has also completed a rigorous life-saving course and is now certified as a lifeguard.
Fan's family is enthusiastically involved in his Special Olympics career. It's easy to see the excitement on his mother's face as she talks about their trip traveling to competitions, and the joy in his father's eyes as he discusses Fan's accomplishments. Fan's brother, Ben, writes to him daily from school, encouraging him to respond via e-mail.
As a Special Olympics Global Messenger, Fan has also served as a spokesperson for the Special Olympics Chinese Taipei Program on television. He also addressed the German National Sports Council in Taipei.
Fan's parents are often asked by other parents of children with special needs how to help them succeed as well as their son has. They reply: offer your child full family support and opportunities such as Special Olympics.
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