Since 2002, the Chaoyang District where Ren's family resides has organized four Special Olympics, in which Ren won four championship titles. Ren is also a member of the championship team at the Shanghai municipal Special Olympics. More importantly, Ren, who looks much younger than his age, is growing happily through taking part in the Special Olympics.

"I don't even know where or when I was born, but the Special Olympics has helped me to get rid of self-contempt and regain self-confidence," said 32-year-old Xi Yong, who has an IQ of 64. He was admitted to the Shanghai Children's Welfare Institute after he was severely burned and deserted by his parents at the age of one.

He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the Ninth Special Olympics in the United States over 10 years ago. At the 11th Special Olympic World Games, he won the men's table tennis doubles gold by partnering with 19-year-old Wang Shoudong, which was the first gold medal of that Special Olympics.

China's northeastern Heilongjiang Province has a nationally known Special Olympics sprinting team. The star athlete of the team is 20-year-old Yu Yang, who has won many championship titles. He was diagnosed with intellectual disabilities at the age of three and admitted to a local special education school at 16. Shortly afterwards, his talent in sprinting was spotted by his physical education teacher, Xu Jingzhong, which changed his life.

After his surprising first-place finish at the provincial games for the disabled in 2003, Yu was received as a hero in his hometown. At the Fourth National Special Olympics in August, Yu, who was viewed as having the best chance to win the gold medal in the 100-meter dash, ended up winning a silver medal. Although it was also a big honor, Yu was upset. In his innocent mind, bringing joy to his townspeople with a gold medal had become part of his responsibilities. Xu tried to comfort him through their unique method of communication. "I talk with him in a very special way so that my meaning can be perfectly understood in one or two sentences," said Xu.

He has developed a code for one-on-one communication with every athlete with intellectual disabilities who has difficulty in controlling their behavior. Despite all his efforts, Xu still could not make himself understood.

"It is really a tough job," said Xu. "I once thought about the meaning in teaching them. Maybe it is not a very good way to prove my teaching ability or to raise my prestige," he said with a smile. "I feel I am doing an emotionally demanding job of building all my joy and value on the happiness and growth of children with intellectual disabilities."

Coach Bao Jin, who headed the Chinese team that won the gold medal in hockey at the Eighth Special Olympics Winter Games in 2005, said athletes with intellectual disabilities can be more determined and unyielding on court than ordinary athletes. "They just practice the slogan of the Special Olympics, 'Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.'"