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Left to right, Carl Lewis, Rafer Johnson, Nadia Comaneci and Bart Conner at the 2004 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games. [Photo by Michael Pliskin] |
"...I have personally seen Special Olympics contributing to Pierre de Coubertin's vision for years...Special Olympics actively promotes athlete leadership at all levels of the Movement and is educating students around the world about the detriments of discrimination and the value of sport." [Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee President]
Many past and current Olympians share a passion for Special Olympics equivalent to that of our athletes, family members, volunteers and coaches:
Andrey Abduvaliev and Armen Bagdasarov
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Andrey Abduvaliev preparing to throw the hammer in 1994. [Photo © Mike Cooper /Allsport, all rights reserved] |
Olympic gold medalist (hammer throw, Barcelona, 1992) and two-time world champion Andrey Abduvaliev, currently the General Secretary of the Athletic Federation of Uzbekistan, and Olympic silver medalist (judo, Atlanta, 1996) Armen Bagdasarov helped organize the first Special Olympics football tournament in Uzbekistan on 2 November 2001.
The two worked together with Special Olympics Uzbekistan, and in cooperation with Peace Corps Uzbekistan, the Uzbekistan Football Federation and the Tashkent Education Department to produce the event. One hundred and twenty Special Olympics athletes between the ages of 12 and 15 participated.
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Special Olympics athletes are delighted with their gift of footballs. [Photo courtesy Special Olympics Uzbekistan] |
The tournament was a collaborative effort among diverse groups caught up by sports fever and a desire to serve the athletes from Uzbekistan. Thanks in part to the efforts of Abduvaliev and Bagdasarov, the Ministry of Internal Affairs even allowed Special Olympics to use its football pitch — the best in the city — free of charge. "Special Olympics Uzbekistan has put a lot of effort into football development and we watched the results of our work at this tournament: 11 of the 13 special schools in Tashkent (the capital city) participated in the event," said Lawrence Leahy, Peace Corps Director.
The teams received Special Olympics footballs and certificates from the Sports Committee and Special Olympics. All other participants received certificates of appreciation. The Tashkent International Women's Group and KPMG donated funds for snacks, sodas and lunch for the athletes. The Uzbekistan Olympic Committee gave each athlete a new pair of sneakers, and students from the Tashkent International School, who cheered the athletes on, presented them with boxes of chocolate at the end of the tournament. "There were many rewarding smiles on the athletes' faces and millions of words of appreciation and happiness," Leahy said.
Nadia Comaneci
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Montreal, July 1976, the Games of the XXI Olympiad: Nadia Comaneci performs on the balance beam. [Photo credit IOC / Olympic Museum Collections, all rights reserved] |
Nadia Comaneci, Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist and Member, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, serves as Vice Chair for the Special Olympics Board of Directors. Widely considered the best — and most famous — gymnast ever, Comaneci made Olympic history at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal when, as a member of the Romanian team, she became the first gymnast to score a perfect 10. At those Games she received seven perfect 10s, three gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Four years later at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, she grabbed two gold medals (balance beam and floor exercise) and two silver medals (all-around and team). She has been a dedicated supporter of Special Olympics for more than 10 years.
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Olympics Gold Medalist and Vice-Chair of the Special Olympics Board of Directors Nadia Comaneci joins Special Olympics Romania athletes at the 2003 World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland. |
"Special Olympics athletes exemplify the highest ideals of sport. Their dedication to achieve their goals, their courage to fulfill their dreams and their commitment to overcome obstacles deserves the admiration and respect of all of us in the sports world and beyond," Comaneci said.
Although she now resides in the United States with her husband Bart Conner (together they run a gymnastics school in Norman, Oklahoma) she remains a staunch supporter of her native Romania. The 12th Special Olympics Romania National Games, held 11-12 October 2002, received a boost when she flew to Bucharest to lend her support, with the occasion used to mark the introduction of gymnastics to the Special Olympics Program. "I hope my involvement in the National Games will help explain what Special Olympics is to people in Romania," Comaneci said.
Bart Conner
Bart Conner, Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist and Member, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, is a member of the Special Olympics Board of Directors. In the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, performing before a raucous crowd of U.S. supporters, Conner was a member of the six-man team that won gold in the team competition; in addition, he won the gold medal during individual apparatus competition for his performance on the parallel bars.
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Bart Conner gives some pointers to an aspiring gymnast at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in North Carolina (USA). |
Conner is America's most decorated male gymnast; the only American gymnast to win gold medals at every level of national and international competition. He is a junior national champion, an elite national champion, a Pan American Games champion, a World Cup champion (the first and still, only, American to win a gold medal at a World Cup event), a World champion, and finally an Olympic champion. In 1976, he was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team, his first of three Olympic berths. After suffering through the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics, Conner competed through to the 1984 Olympics, where he battled back from his second torn biceps injury. "The entire U.S. team, all six guys, had the best meet of our lives, all on the same night. It was incredible," he said. "Even though gymnastics is primarily an individual sport, there is something special about being part of a great team." Conner owns The Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy (a flourishing gymnastics school in Norman, Oklahoma), International Gymnast magazine, and Grips, Etc., a gymnastics supply company. For 20 years Conner has worked as a TV commentator for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN and Turner. He married fellow gymnast Nadia Comaneci in 1996, who is also active with the school.
Jamie & Niall Costin
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Left, Jamie Costin, 27, a two-time Olmpian for Ireland in racewalking, congratulates his brother Niall, 24, after his medal-winning performance in the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. [Photo by Naoise Culhane, IRELAND OUT] |
Two brothers in Ireland both have their own medals and memories: Niall Costin represented Special Olympics Ireland in the 2003 World Summer Games, competing in the Motor Activities Training Program (MATP). He also had the honor of lighting the cauldron for the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games in 2002. His brother Jamie Costin, who has won Irish, British and European race walking competitions and is currently in the top 30 race walkers in the world, represented Ireland at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and was aiming for a medal in Athens (he was due to compete in the 50km racewalk competition on 27 August), but shortly after his arrival in Greece, he sustained a compressed fracture of the lower back due to a car accident. "He was down on in spirits [when the accident occurred]," said Pat Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, "but today he said: 'I'll be on the team for Beijing.' That shows his positive thinking. He is a great fellow, he is very popular and everyone was very disappointed about what happened."
Margaret Costin, mother to Niall and Jamie, is thankful for the school that Niall attends. "We're very lucky to have the Carriglea Centre...it's made a huge difference to his life and ours. He's there from nine to four every day and physically MATP is very good for him. He got involved in the sporting side three or four years ago...Tom Scanlan, the centre's sports co-ordinator, has played a huge part in it all, we have so much to thank him for.
Prince Albert of Monaco
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IOC member Prince Albert of Monaco is interviewed about the 2004 Olympic Games. In Athens, in addition to his IOC commitments, he has set himself a challenge that he has yet to achieve — to attend at least one event in every sport. "I came close to it in Sydney where I went to 26 of the 28 sports. But I hope to have a full count this time." [Photo © IOC Olympic Museum Collections] |
His Serene Highness Crown Prince Albert of Monaco, an accomplished athlete (five-time Olympian) has an involvement in the Olympic Movement that goes further than his athletic participation, as he has also been an IOC member since 1985, as well as a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission since 1989. "I feel very close to the Olympic Movement and of course to the Olympic Games," he said.
The Games are "an incredible event that celebrates all that is good in the human spirit. It goes beyond sport," he said. "The Games are a wonderful opportunity for the Olympic Movement, not only to showcase itself in a historical and cultural dimension, but also to pass on the messages of peace, friendship and tolerance." Prince Albert notes the unique opportunity that the Games offer to be in contact with people from around the world and from different backgrounds and walks of life. "Very often these friendships that you acquire during the Games, through the spirit of the Olympic Games, are very special and are often lifelong friendships," he said.
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Left to right, Jonathan Blackmon, Special Olympics Texas; His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco; Tony Gorczyca, Special Olympics Maryland; and Michael Quinn, Special Olympics Ireland greet each other in Monte Carlo. The route for the Law Enforcement Torch Run followed the one used for the famous Monte Carlo Grand Prix. [Photo by Diana Roday Hosford] |
Last year Prince Albert showed his support for Special Olympics by hosting the "Flame of Hope" and its accompanying delegation during its stop in Monte Carlo. Every two years, law enforcement officers from around the world gather to carry the "Flame of Hope" in a Law Enforcement Torch Run® Final Leg in honor of the Special Olympics World Games. Last year the Torch Run Final Leg for the 2003 World Summer Games covered more than 15,000 km (9,000 miles) in Europe. The "Flame of Hope" was lit in a ceremony in Athens, Greece on 4 June 2003; the following day, 93 international law enforcement officers and 10 Special Olympics athletes began the Final Leg run, carrying the Flame along three routes across Europe. On 6 June 2003 the runners proceeded down a 28-kilometer road along the Mediterranean Sea between Nice, France, and Monte Carlo, Monaco. Once there, everyone enjoyed a full day of sports activities, including a Unified Sports® soccer match with athletes, famous football players, Prince Albert and friends. In the evening a gala show took place in the famous Monaco Circus.
Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm, who is widely recognized as the world's best all-around women's football (soccer) player, and her teammates have just received another gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games, defeating Brazil 2-1 in extra time on 26 August at Karaiskaki Stadium in Athens. In Atlanta at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia the U.S. Women's team took gold in front of 80,000 fans — never before had so many spectators watched a women's sporting event — and at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia the squad won silver.
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Mia Hamm, second from left, celebrates her second team gold medal with some of her veteran teammates: (from left) Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain and Joy Fawcett. "This team never gave up and every single player made a difference," said Hamm. "These guys deserve it. They always put the game first. They always thought about leaving a legacy and leaving a better place for all the young girls that are in the stands. These girls deserve it and I am so proud to be on this team." [Photo courtesy ATHENS 2004, © GETTY IMAGES/ Jamie Squire, all rights reserved] |
She became the youngest woman to ever play with the USA when she made her first national team appearance at 15 in 1987. She has played at the game’s top levels for over half of her life and has an astounding 138-plus goals in international competition. Her 228-plus international caps rank her second in the FIFA Century Club. On May 16, 1999, Hamm broke the all-time international scoring record for women and men with her 108th career goal against Brazil. She was named FIFA Women's 'Player of the Year' in 2001 and 2002 —the list goes on and on. But awards and accomplishments only tell part of the story of this remarkable athlete; Mamm has always given much of her free time to charitable causes.
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Special Olympics athletespresent Mia Hamm with an autographed soccer ball in thanks for her support as a member of 1999 Special Olympics World Games Board of Directors. [Photo courtesy Special Olympics North Carolina] |
Hamm joined the Board of Directors of the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games, lending her athletic expertise to Special Olympics athletes who hoped to go for the gold. She celebrated her role as board member for the 1999 Games by holding a soccer clinic for Special Olympics North Carolina athletes, which was held before the start of a University of North Carolina (UNC) vs. Duke women’s soccer game. Special Olympics soccer players from huddled around Hamm to hear words of encouragement and advice. Excitement filled the air as the athletes broke into groups to show off their soccer skills and obtain valuable tips from Hamm and soccer players from the Capital Area Soccer League.
At half-time of that UNC-Duke game, Special Olympics athletes gave a special presentation to Hamm in appreciation of her support marching onto the field carrying the 1999 Games banner and flag, and presenting Hamm with a soccer ball they autographed for her. Hamm noted how happy she was to be a part of the 1999 Games and to work with the athletes in the game they all enjoy.
Hamm runs her own charitable organization, the Mia Hamm Foundation, "a reflection of my life experiences. I created this foundation to benefit important issues that have directly affected me throughout my life. The foundation is focused on providing support for two important causes: raising funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients and continuing the growth in opportunities for young women in sports." The first cause is through sad personal experience — her brother Garrett Hamm had been fighting a rare blood disorder called aplastic anemia since he was 16. Just before the 1996 Olympics, his condition worsened. When the U.S. women's team beat China in a heart-stopping match during the Atlanta Olympics, Garrett Hamm was there to see his sister bask in the glory of the gold medal, although he was very sick at the time. He died the following year at age 28 after a bone marrow transplant. He left behind a wife and son. "I learned so much through him — about perseverance, about grace, about dignity," Hamm said.
As to the second cause, "Needless to say, I would not have had the life experiences to date without other pioneers who worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for women in sport," said Hamm. Although I am encouraged by the growth of opportunities for girls, I am committed to continue the progress made in the last decade. It is my goal to help further the development of programs and initiatives for young women in sports."
Inese Janunzeme
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Inese Janunzeme, the javelin gold medal winner in the Games of the XVI Olympiad (1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia) spoke at the ceremonies in Riga. [Photo courtesy of Krzysztof Krukowski, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia] |
Also on 6 June 2003, Special Olympics Latvia received national television attention — for the first time in the Program's history. Inese Janunzeme, who received the gold medal in javelin in the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, (she is revered in her country for being Latvia's first Olympic Champion) spoke at the ceremonies honoring the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg in Riga. An 11-kilometer run that started at the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum concluded with a ceremony hosted by President Vaira Vike-Freidrga. More than 50 Latvian police recruits joined the "Guardians of the Flame" as they made their way through town amid the cheers of supporters dotting the streets.
"We've been trying to get our athletes on national television for five years and this is the first time ever we have succeeded," said Juris Balodis, Chairman of the Board for Special Olympics Latvia. "Our President understands how important this is. She rearranged her schedule just to be here with us and we are more than grateful."
In a country slowly emerging from communist rule, inclusion and acceptance of citizens with intellectual disabilities has been hard to come by. Yet as Special Olympics Latvia athletes who joined the "Flame of Hope," the Riga crowd saluted them for the two kilometers en route to Dom Cathedral.
Rafer Johnson
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Rafer Johnson making an awards presentation at the 2002 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games. |
A three-time world record holder in the decathlon, silver medalist at the 1956 Olympics and gold medalist at the 1960 Games, Rafer Johnson's involvement in Special Olympics began when he attended the first Special Olympics competition in 1968. Johnson was so inspired that he felt that he couldn't help but get involved. Johnson, along with a small group of volunteers, founded California Special Olympics the following year by conducting a competition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for 900 individuals with intellectual disabilities. (California Special Olympics was renamed in 1995 to Special Olympics Southern California.)
Johnson was one of the original members (1969) of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Southern California and served as its President from 1983 until 1992, when he was named Chairman of the Board of Governors, a position he still holds.
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Still in college, Rafer Johnson was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year for 1958. At that time, the magazine recounted, Johnson gave a speech exploring the uplifting values of competition. "We make friends and I like to think that we leave as friends... We go to exchange ideas, not to beat ideas into each other's heads, like politicians," he said. "It seems funny to say winning is not all-important — I always want to win, and no one likes to lose. But when you start out on the field, everyone is equal. That is the important idea." [Photo by John G. Zimmerman, courtesy Sports Illustrated.com] |
Johnson's athletic reputation has endured (the winner of the Olympic decathlon is widely considered the greatest athlete in the world), and with his many connections in the sports world and Hollywood he has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars and recruited dozens of people to support Special Olympics.
In 1958 Johnson broke the world decathlon record while he was a senior in college. At a track meet in Moscow, he scored 8,302 points to outduel his rival, Vasiliy Kuznetsov of Russia. Johnson managed to win over the Russian's home crowd with his courageous performance and outdid the previous record by 288 points. At UCLA (he graduated in 1959, earning a B.S. degree, with Honors, in Physical Education), he was elected student body president. He was the school's first African American to pledge a national fraternity. In Rome, Johnson was the U.S. team's flag bearer — the first African American so honored. Johnson capped his career by winning that 1960 Olympic championship in a world record performance. Winner of the 1960 Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete, Johnson retired to begin to work for Peace Corps, founded by Sargent Shriver.
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"I've had many great moments in the Olympics: the silver medal in Melbourne in 1956; then 1960 in Rome, where I captained the U.S. team, carried the American flag, had the great competition with my good friend Chan Kwan Yang and won the gold; and in Los Angeles, being selected to carry the torch on its final leg" and light the Olympic flame, said Johnson. The job involved climbing 99 steps from the stadium floor, then lighting the flame through a system of gas jets that would lead through the interlocking five-ring Olympic symbol up to the caldron atop the Coliseum. Johnson recalls David Wolper, the producer of the Opening Ceremony, telling him"We had a college football player try it and he fell flat on his face. But I know you can do it." [Photo credit IOC / Getty Images/Steve Powell, all rights reserved] |
Johnson's personal philosophy is the driving force behind his many contributions to society. He believes very strongly that his academic and athletic activities received tremendous support by his school, parents, and the community. As he stated in an interview in UCLA Monthly, "As I've moved along since then, people have continued to be very helpful to me. I've just always felt that I owed something back to my state, my community and to young people."
He is involved with 28 different charities, foundations and agencies involved with youth. He was inducted in the first class (1994) of the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, and in 1999 was inducted into the Sport in Society Hall of Fame, established to recognize those athletes who have made outstanding contributions to society through their participation in sport. His autobiography, The Best That I Can Be, was published in 1998 by Doubleday Books
It is impossible to quantify the contributions Johnson has made to Special Olympics Southern California, both in terms of volunteer hours and financial contributions. For 36 years, he has made Special Olympics Southern California a part of his life. From the original competition involving 900 athletes, Johnson has led the organization's growth to its present size: more than 11,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in an 11-county region of Southern California. The program offers year-round sports training and competition in 23 individual and team sports for athletes ranging in age from 8 to 80. Athletes receive quality, consistent training, and compete at local, sectional, statewide and international levels.
Carl Lewis
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Carl Lewis, left, hosted a reception when Giorgio Armani partnered with Details magazine to host a photo exhibition of his book, Facce da Sport/Faces of Sport, at Giorgio Armani Los Angeles on 29 April in Los Angeles, California. Lewis poses with (from left) Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics Founder and Honorary Chairman; Special Olympics Southern California (USA) athletes Carlos Macias, Janelle Spindt and Gilbert Pate, all featured in the book. Lewis also attended events celebrating the announcement of the book that took place in Milan during Men's Fashion Week earlier this year.[Photo credit: Silvia Mautner] |
Carl Lewis, one of the greatest track & field competitors ever, has become an avid supporter of Special Olympics athletes, recently being photographed for Facce da Sport/Faces of Sport, a book produced by Giorgio Armani of photographs of athletes from around the world — including Special Olympics athletes — during Milan's Men's Fashion Week in January of this year. "It's a genius idea to break down the barriers and redefine the concept of the front row of fashion with Special Olympics," said Lewis. "Everyone has a seat in the house of Armani."
In another show of support for the movement, Lewis visited Egypt in March 2004 for a week-long visit. He participated in a marathon with Special Olympics athletes at the foot of the Pyramids. "From my point of view, as an athlete, everyone should have an equal chance to train and compete and enjoy the feeling of victory as we are all human beings," he said.
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Carl Lewis during the long jump event at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. [Photo credit IOC / Getty Images/David Cannon, all rights reserved] |
Lewis has won a total of nine gold medals (one of only four Olympic athletes to do so) and is one of only three to win the same individual event four times. In 1984, Lewis matched Jesse Owens' feat of winning four gold medals with victories in the 100m, the 200m, the long jump and the 4x100m relay. At the 1988 Seoul Games, Lewis gained a second gold medal in the 100m, defended his long jump title and finished second in the 200m. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Lewis won a third gold medal in the long jump and anchored the world record-setting U.S. relay team. (He didn't lose in the long jump for a decade, winning 65 consecutive competitions.) In 1996, Lewis qualified for the U.S. Olympic squad by placing third in the long jump trials. He needed all three jumps to qualify for the final at the Atlanta Games. Still, he showed he still had one huge leap left in him, as his 27'10¾" at Atlanta was his longest jump (at sea level) in four years. Twelve years after his triumphs in Los Angeles — or, as Lewis has phrased it, "fourteen hairstyles" later — he was still the Olympic long jump champion.
Lasse Virén
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Lasse Virén carries the "Flame of Hope" in a Law Enforcement Torch Run. [Photo courtesy Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia] |
Three time Olympian and gold medalist Lasse Virén of Finland, renowned for his distance running, keeps up the pace on behalf of Special Olympics.
On 22 May 2000 Virén led 25 international law enforcement officers and hundreds of runners on the Special Olympics Torch Run Final Leg through Brussels. The Torch Run was the kickoff event for the Special Olympics European Games held in Groningen, the Netherlands—the largest multi-sports event in Europe for individuals with intellectual disabilities that year. He followed that effort by leading the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg through Helsinki, Finland on 5 June 2003.
"As an athlete, I share with Special Olympics athletes their enthusiasm, commitment and love of sport. Therefore, it is an honor for me to be able to help bring to the attention of the public the accomplishments of the athletes who will compete in the European Games," said Virén, who is a member of the Finnish Parliament.
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Virén leads the field on his way to victory in the men's 5000 meters at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Hewas a strong supporter of training in the woods. "The tranquillity of nature creates mental strength" he said. "When you run in the woods, you will have to change rhythm to avoid roots, just in the same way as you have to be constantly alert in a competition." [Photo credit IOC / Getty Images/Tony Duffy |
"It is an honor to have Lasse Virén, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, participate in the Torch Run," said Michael Smith, Managing Director of Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia. "His remarkable demonstrations of ability and determination are etched in our minds as truly golden moments in the history of sporting achievement in the 20th century."
Virén was a 23-year-old policeman when he made his Olympic debut in 1972. His first event was the 10,000 meters. Midway through the race, Virén was running in fifth place when he suddenly stumbled and fell. He rose quickly and moved up to second place, whereupon the lead changed hands several times. With 1½ laps to go, Virén applied pressure. One by one, his opponents fell behind. Virén won by six meters and broke the seven-year-old world record. Ten days later, in the 5,000-meter final, Virén fought off the challenge of Mohamed Gammoudi of Tunisia to complete the long distance track double.
At the 1976 Montréal Olympics, Virén had an easier time in the 10,000 meters, winning by 30 meters. The 5,000m was more difficult: although Virén was in the lead at the beginning of the last lap; only five meters separated the first six runners. Coming out of the final turn, Virén beat back a fierce challenge by New Zealand's Dick Quax and won his fourth gold medal, achieving the rare double repeat in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, with wins both at Montreal in 1976 as well as at Munich in 1972. He participated in his final Olympics in Moscow in 1980, placing fifth in the 10,000 meters.
Yao Ming
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Yao Ming during the Opening Ceremony. [Photo courtesy ATHENS 2004, © ATHOC / GETTY IMAGES, all rights reserved] |
International icon and basketball star Yao Ming was proud to serve as the flag bearer for his country, China — standing out as the tallest ever. Yao was welcomed to the Special Olympics family as a Special Olympics Global Ambassador at a press conference on 11 June 2004 in Shanghai, China; he had just participated in the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Torch Relay as a torch-bearer. Yao admitted to some trepidation as he carried the Olympic torch to light a ceremonial cauldron in Beijing. "I had to slow down my pace to make sure the flame didn't go out," he said. As a Global Ambassador, Yao will be charged with taking Special Olympics' message of inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities to a worldwide audience, in addition to working directly with Special Olympics athletes in a variety of contexts. "In 2007, my hometown of Shanghai, China, will host the Special Olympics World Summer Games, bringing together the world in celebration of acceptance," he said. Shanghai will also host the 2008 Olympic Games.
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