The Special Olympics, organized for those with intellectual disabilities, selects athletes who help to spread the message and vision of the movement as well as the benefits they have gained by participating as global messengers or athlete leaders.

"I am intellectually disabled and used to be very shy. I did not want to speak much. I wouldn't even answer you once after being asked 10 questions," said Xu. "Thanks to the Special Olympics, I have become talkative and the Special Olympics has brought positive changes in my life so that my family no longer feels sad for me. Instead, they are proud of me."

Xu is proud of his hometown, Shanghai, which has won the bid for hosting the Special Olympics, making China the first Asian country to host this event.

"I Know I Can," the slogan for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, is the phrase Xu used the most, and he explained its significance. "During the races, we athletes say the slogan to each other. Outside of the sports field, we say this slogan to everyone, which expresses our wishes for equality, participation, integration and happiness. Those caring for intellectually disabled people say this to each other to reconfirm their support for this cause."

Xu recalled that Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics in 1968, used to tell the Special Olympics athletes that all of them were winners. She told the players that they could proudly say, "I can."

The Special Olympics follows the traditional Olympic Games in terms of the design of the events, but has different eligibility requirements for the athletes. They must be at least eight years of age and have an IQ below 70. If the goal of the Olympics is to challenge mankind's limits in pursuing "faster, higher and stronger," the Special Olympics is designed for every participant to push his or her own limits.

By organizing a series of events outside the sports arena, such as family forums and global youth summits, the global campaign of the Special Olympics aims to highlight humanity toward intellectually disabled people, and enhance their ability to communicate, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Because of its values and goals, the Special Olympics movement is gaining increasing attention and respect globally.

From music to sports

Xu Chuang was born into a family with a musical background. His maternal grandfather is a conductor of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and his father is a violinist at a theater. In Chinese, one meaning of Chuang is "to break ground." Xu's given name bears the family's expectation that he should break new ground in music and carry on the family's tradition.

As a small child, Xu exhibited musical talent. However, when he was six, all such hope evaporated overnight after he was struck by an unusual disease and became moderately intellectually disabled.

"The feeling of having a son with intellectual disabilities is like having a rock on our hearts," said Xu's mother Bao Meiqin, who is a doctor at a school for children with intellectual disabilities. After dealing with many parents who encountered a similar fate, Bao well understands their concerns about their children: "What will happen to them in the future and who will take care of them after we die?"

Bao and the physical education teacher discovered Xu's interest in sports soon after he was sent to the school at which his mother works.

Some teachers told Xu's mother that it was not suitable for him to compete in the Special Olympics because his memory is weak and his coordination is poor. He would learn and practice a set of simple gymnastic exercises for several days and then give an awkward performance.

Yet to these teachers' surprise, through preparing for the Special Olympics Xu's physical skills have been improving and he is becoming more extroverted and articulate. His competition results also showed substantial progress. In 1999, at a table tennis tournament for people with intellectual disabilities of the Asia-Pacific region, Xu won the championship by beating over 500 players from more than 30 countries. This earned him a spot on the training team for Special Olympics athletes at another school for intellectually disabled children.

This is when the mother started to give her son "lessons in survival." She told her boy that it is important for a person with mental disabilities to develop an accurate survival orientation. Toward this goal, it is essential to have a positive and unyielding attitude toward life as much as to master a suitable skill. As part of the course, Bao let her son watch the movie Forrest Gump. "Forrest Gump also had intellectual disabilities with an IQ below 70, but he achieved successes in life through hard work. I want to become 'China's Forrest Gump,'" said Xu.