Speech by Zhou Taitong, Vice Mayor of Shanghai Municipality May 17, 2007 |
Ladies and Gentlemen: 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games (2007 SOWSG) will be held in Shanghai from October 2nd to 11th. It will be the largest comprehensive international sports event ever hosted by China . The Chinese Government attaches great importance to it, and established 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games Organizing Committee (GOC) and Games Steering Committee (GSC) in 2004. The State Administration of Sport and China Disabled Persons' Federation actively participate in the preparatory work, and Shanghai is responsible for the concrete operation. Currently everything goes on smoothly. I. The Basics of 2007 SOWSG In February 2002, Shanghai , as the representative of China , won the bidding to host the 2007 SOWSG, making it the first World Games to be held in a developing country. By then we will be welcoming from over 160 countries and regions, more than 10,000 athletes and coaches, 20,000 family members, experts and guests and nearly 40,000 volunteers to the Games, which will be the largest in scale throughout its history. The participants of World Games are all intellectually challenged people with their IQ below 70. The Games is not just about competition but also about participation. Athletes are divided according to their age and capacity, and there is no world record to break. Every participant gets an award. The theme of this Games is ?I know I can?, which gives expression to the Special Olympics spirit embodied in ?Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt?. The logo of 2007 SOWSG is ?eye?, the image of an aspiring and caring eye. II. Overall Plan for the Events of 2007 SOWSG 2007 SOWSG consists of 2 major categories of activities: sporting and non-sporting events, including Opening/Closing Ceremony, Host Town Program, Law Enforcement Torch Run, Family Forum, Healthy Athlete Program, and Youth Summit. Guided by the principle of ?festivity, regularity and frugality?, the GSC has laid out plans to execute these programs, and efforts are now being made to add to their details. The Opening Ceremony of this World Games is scheduled to be staged on the evening of October 2nd in Shanghai Stadium with live global broadcast. The Closing Ceremony will be held on the evening of October 11th in Jiangwan Stadium. Host Town Program was rolled out in 12 Chinese cities, including Shanghai , Beijing , Harbin and Guangzhou three days before the official competition. The Law Enforcement Torch Run will start on June 29th from Athens, Greece, where the torch will be lit, and trek through the US, Ireland and Japan among others that have hosted World Games before. The Flame of Hope will then reach Beijing to a welcome ceremony by late September and be passed on through the Chinese host towns before finally reaching Shanghai and entering into the main venue for the Opening Ceremony. III. Orderly Progress Made in Organization Organization of the competitions is tough because of its complexity and high standards. On top of the 21 competitive sports, there are also 4 demonstrative ones and a dozen of non-sporting events, which will all be undertaken by the 19 districts/county of Shanghai . Currently the training of referees and division officials and the procurement and setup of equipment are proceeding as planned. The 1000-plus Chinese athletes are practicing hard in preparation for the Games. Based on the principle of frugality in the Games organization, we are conducting intensive reconstruction and refurbishment on 34 venues to be used in the Games, with emphasis placed on functionality improvement and accessible facilities. The work will be fundamentally completed by the end of June according to our plan. IV. Detailed Reception and Service Planning The hospitality service during the World Games caters to a huge number of guests and has its own characteristics, which will be challenging. During the Games, we will provide volunteer service, translation service, media interview service, and services regarding transportation, meal and accommodation, shopping, sightseeing, healthcare and so on. Currently we have generated plans covering various aspects, and the recruitment and training of volunteers, doctors and translators (including 6 official languages and some less commonly used languages) are well under way. V. Wide Participation by the General Public During the years of preparation, the value and spirit of Special Olympics have received extensive media coverage, which further promote the humanitarianism and a caring environment for the disabled and weak. The people are educated in the process and the city has become more civilized and harmonious. The GSC organized a series of important events leading up to the Games, including hiring the two famous sports figure Yao Ming and Liu Xiang as Special Olympics Ambassadors, campaigning for the Special Olympics Games in the UN headquarters, launching the Special Olympics hotline and official website, releasing the Public Service Ads and newsletters, holding picture exhibition featuring ?embracing and supporting Special Olympics? throughout communities and schools, and promote school education of the Games nationwide. All these efforts help to create a caring and supportive atmosphere for the disabled through public campaign and contribute to social harmony. Today we are also going to announce the choice of the mascot and the posters for this World Games. After successfully launched the theme ?I know I can? and the logo ?eye? through public bidding, the GSC has once again solicited openly for mascot and posters from home and abroad. It took more than 5 months of bidding, panel discussion, and deliberation of the GOC to determine out of 525 mascot models the ?Sunshine Baby? and the three posters from 958 biddings. The ?Baby? or ?Sanmao? is a famous Chinese cartoon figure, well known both home and abroad. It embodies the notion of sharing and joy of Special Olympics movement in the new age featuring building a harmonious society. The three posters also demonstrate the Special Olympics values and spirits in their own ways. On May 20th, the National Day for the Disabled, the China Central TV will host a public service live show named ?Warm Spring 2007? , when official unveiling ceremony of the mascot and the posters for this World Games will be held. As the host city of 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Shanghai does a good job in showcasing the characteristics of China and Special Olympics movement, creating an international influence, and accomplishing the preparatory work in high quality. We will present to the world a wonderful and unforgettable Special Olympics Games. Now, President Tang Xiaoquan, Deputy Director-General Liu Guoyong and I are ready to take your questions.
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