What do Paralympic shooting contestants have to go through before they can arrive?

Special Olympics is an international organization of annual athletic training and athletic competition for more than 1 million children and adults with mental disabilities.

The purpose of the Special Olympics is: Let us win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in participating.

Our leaders are: Younes Kennedy Schrevo, Founder Emeritus, Sargent Schrevo, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Tonemi P. Schrevo, Ph.D., President and CEO.

Our mission is to continually give them opportunities to develop their health, demonstrate courage, experience joy and engage with their families. Other Special Olympics athletes and communities share honors, skills and friendships. Through these we provide annual sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for mentally handicapped children and adults.

Our purpose is to provide all persons with mental disabilities with the benefits of participating in the Special Olympics, including improved health and athletic ability, increased self-confidence and positive self-soothing, enhanced friendships, and improved family support. Special Olympics athletes put these benefits into practice in their daily lives, in their studies, at work, and in the surrounding society. When family members learn to appreciate their athletic talents, whoever participates becomes stronger. Volunteers in the community discovered that these athletes were also very good friends, and everyone was aware of the many talents of these mentally handicapped people.

The overall spirit of the Special Olympics in conveying skills, courage, interests, and joy has no boundaries of geography, ethnicity, politics, gender, age, race, or belief.

The origin and development of Special Olympics

In June 1963, in Maryland, the United States, the founder of Special Olympics, Ms. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, held a summer camp for the mentally retarded and carried out Sports and entertainment activities.

In July 1968, the first International Special Olympics Games were held in Chicago, USA.

In December 1968, Special Olympics International (SOI) was established.

In February 1988, the International Special Olympics was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The development of the Special Olympics movement has received support and attention from governments and people around the world. By 2003, there were more than 150 countries and regions members of the International Special Olympics, and people with intellectual disabilities participating in the Special Olympics movement had It has grown from the initial 100 people to more than 1.2 million people, and has successfully hosted 11 summer and 7 winter Special Olympics World Games.

The founder of the Special Olympics Movement - Ms. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, as the executive vice president of the Kennedy Foundation and the founder of the Special Olympics Movement, has been committed to strengthening and improving people with intellectual disabilities for thirty years. improve the quality of life and enable them to participate in social life. She was the fifth child of the Kennedys' nine children. She was born in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, and graduated from Stanford University in California with a degree in social sciences. After graduation, she worked for the U.S. government in various capacities in various areas of social work. In 1957, he took over the Kennedy Foundation and pursued civil rights for intellectually disabled people. Under her leadership, the foundation has made outstanding achievements in medical research, public education, etc. Her work has been recognized internationally and she has received the highest honor in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Special Olympics International

Special Olympics International (SPECIAL OLYMPICS INTERNATIONAL, SOI) is an international organization that provides sports training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities around the world. The Olympic Committee recognizes organizations that can carry out activities independently under the name "Olympic" and has been committed to promoting the development of the Special Olympics (Special Olympics) movement on a global scale for many years. It was founded in 1968 by Ms. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Currently, more than 150 countries and regions have joined the International Special Olympics. Currently, Ms. Eunice Kennedy Shriver is the honorary president, and their youngest son, Timothy Shriver, is the current chairman and president of the board of directors.

Special Olympics International is the governing body of the global Special Olympics movement, headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. It is responsible for managing and guiding worldwide Special Olympics activities, supervising international and national Special Olympics games and coaches. Organize work and provide support and assistance for important development programs, international conferences and training courses. At the same time, Special Olympics International also has a regional leadership council, an international advisory committee, a project rules committee, etc., and adopts useful suggestions from individuals and groups to continuously develop and improve its charter and competition rules. Recognized by Special Olympics International, different countries operate in 7 regions: East, West and Southern Africa, Asia Pacific, East Asia, Europe-Eurasia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, and North America.

Special Olympics Mission:

Create conditions and provide opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to participate in daily Olympic sports training and competitions, so that they can realize their potential, perform bravely, and compete with other athletes and families during their participation. Share happiness, exchange skills and enhance friendship.

The ultimate goal of Special Olympics:

To provide equal opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to participate in social life, so that they can become people who are beneficial to society and accepted and respected by society.

Special Olympics slogan: Try bravely and strive for victory. (Let me win, But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.)

Special Olympics World Games

The International Special Olympics takes the connotation and tradition of the Olympics as a model , the Special Olympics World Games is held every two years, held alternately in summer and winter. The Special Olympics World Games is committed to promoting the development of the global Special Olympics movement. The games are arranged in a reasonable and fair manner to allow athletes of all abilities to have the opportunity to participate. As of 2003, Special Olympics International has held 11 World Summer and 7 Winter Special Olympics Games.

Special Olympics World Games website: www.specialolympics.org

Toll-free number: 1-800-700-8585

Special Olympics World Summer Games

Session Date Location Number of athletes Participating countries and regions

1 1968.7.19-20 Illinois, United States 1,000 United States and Canada

2 1970.8.13-15 Illinois, United States 2,000 US-Canada French Wave

3 1972.8.13-18 California, United States 2,500

4 1975.8.07-11 Michigan, United States 3,500 About 10

5 1979.8.08-13 New York State, USA 3,500 About 20

6 1983.7.12-18 Louisiana, USA 4,000

7 1987.7.31-8.8 Indiana , United States 4,700 About 70

8 1991.7.19-27 Minnesota, United States 6,000 About 100

9 1995.7.1-9 Connecticut, United States 7,100 About 143

10 1999.6.26-7.4 North Carolina, United States 6,800 150

11 2003.621-29 Dublin, Ireland 7,000 150

Special Olympics World Winter Games

Number of sessions, date, location, number of athletes, participating countries and regions

1 1977.2.5-11 Colorado, USA 500

2 1981.3.8-13 Vermont, USA 600

3 1985.3.24-29 Utah, USA 2,500 14

4 1989.4.1-8 Nevada, USA 3,500 18

5 1993.3.20-27 Sal Fort, Austria 1,500 58

6 1997.1.26-2.10 Ontario, Canada 2,000 75

7 2001.3.4-11 Alaska, United States 2,000 75

< p>Special Olympics Summer Sports 18

Aquatic sports (swimming, diving), golf, track and field, gymnastics, basketball, weightlifting, bowling, roller skating, bocce, cycling, softball, equestrian, tennis, football , volleyball, badminton, sailing, table tennis, handball,

Special Olympics Winter Sports 7

Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, floor hockey, speed skating, figure skating, snowshoeing, Snowboard

The difference between Special Olympics and other sports organizations

The Special Olympics organization has many similarities with other sports organizations, but there are 5 characteristics that are unique to Special Olympics:

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1. No fees will be charged for athletes (or parents) participating in training or competition.

2. Encourage athletes with different abilities to participate and provide various competition opportunities for athletes with different abilities.

3. The grouping of athletes in each ability group will be based on a fair and reasonable basis.

4. All contestants can receive honors.

5. Qualifications to participate in higher-level competitions need to be selected according to certain regulations on the basis of regional or national Special Olympics competitions.

Eligibility to participate in Special Olympics

All intellectually disabled persons over 8 years old and certified by relevant institutions or doctors can participate in Special Olympics after registration. (Physically disabled people without intellectual disability are not eligible to participate.)

Benefits of participating in Special Olympics

Regardless of athlete ability, age, or intellectual disability, participating in Special Olympics will bring Obvious benefits.

1. Physical aspects: It can improve coordination and endurance, and improve the function of the cardiovascular system.

2. Spiritual aspect: The study of knowledge of competition rules and the study of techniques and tactics in competition will cultivate athletes' self-esteem, confidence and pride.

3. Social aspects: By cooperating with normal people and peers in competitions and motivating each other, while traveling and studying in different places, students can cultivate interests, increase their sense of family honor, and improve their understanding of society. Accepted and recognized by society.

Contestants can gain:

1. A rich and beneficial life

2. Improve skills in school, work, family and social life, etc. Build self-confidence

3. Improve leadership skills

Special Olympics National Members

In addition to 52 organizations in the United States, Special Olympics, Inc. has authorized 149 nation.

Milestones

June 1963.

Younes Kennedy Schrever held a summer program at his Maryland home for mentally handicapped adults and children. camping activities to explore their abilities in various sports and physical activities.

1968.7.20.

Together with the Chicago Park District, the Kennedys planned and hosted the first International Summer Games for Special Persons, held at Sommer Fields in Chicago. 1,000 mentally challenged athletes from 26 states and Canada competed in track and field, floor hockey and aquatics.

December 1968.

Special Personnel Games, Inc. is a nonprofit charitable organization under the laws of the District of Columbia, organized by the Association for Handicapped Persons, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the American Association for Mental Retardation. The tradition and spirit of the Olympics ensure that maximum efforts are made to provide physical training and athletic competition for people with mental disabilities.

1970.8.13-15.

The Second International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, with representatives from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, France and Puerto Rico 2,000 athletes participated.

1972.8.13-18.

The Third International Special Olympics Summer Games were held at Los Angeles University in California, with 2,500 people participating.

1975.8.7-11.

The Fourth International Special Olympics Summer Games were held at Michigan Central University in Princeton, Michigan. 320 athletes from 10 countries participated. The games were broadcast nationally on CBS' "Sports Spectacular."

1977.2.5-11.

The first Winter Games of the Special Olympics were held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with more than 500 athletes competing in skiing and skating. Competition. The CBS, ABC and NBC television networks covered the Games.

1979.8.8-13.

The 5th Special Olympics Summer Games was held at the State University of New York at Brockport. 3,500 athletes from all U.S. states and more than 20 countries participated.

1980-1981

Special Olympics held a training and certification program for coaches and printed the first set of sports skills instruction manuals.

1981.3.8-13.

The Second Special Olympics Winter Games were held in the countryside of Smuggler's Notch and Stowe, Vermont, with more than 600 alpine skiers, backcountry skiers and skaters Athletes participate.

1983.7.12-18.

The Sixth Special Olympics Summer Games was held at Louisiana State University in Burton-Yukie. More than 60,000 people attended the opening ceremony , about 4,000 athletes participated.

1985.3.24-29.

Athletes in ice and snow sports from 14 countries participated in the third Special Olympics Winter Games in Park City, Utah.

1986.9.

The International Year of Special Olympics was launched by the United Nations in New York with the slogan "Special Olympics - Uniting the World" and reached its peak in the 1987 International Special Olympics Summer Games. To the extreme.

1987.7.

More than 30,000 law enforcement officers from every state and seven countries ran 26,000 miles in the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. The 1987 Torch Run raised $20,000.

1987.7.31-8.8.

Notre Dame University and St. Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana hosted the 7th Special Olympics Summer Games. More than 4,700 athletes from 70 Athletes from many countries participated in the largest amateur sports event in 1987. The games were covered by Sports Illustrated and Time and watched by more than 150 million viewers worldwide.

October 1987.

Kimi and Vicky Irwin's A&M Records and Bobby Schrever release a very special Christmas record. The record features holiday music performed by the cast of the best-selling record, generating profits for Special Olympics around the world.

1988.2.

The International Olympic Committee signed a historic decision to establish the Special Olympics.

1988.7.

The Special Olympics Unified Sports Program was established at the Special Olympics Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada.

1989.4.1-8.

The 4th Special Olympics Winter Games were held in Reno, Nevada and elsewhere in California, with more than 1,000 athletes from 18 countries athletes participated.

1990.2.11.

ABC's television program "Life Goes On" was the first to use a mentally handicapped actor to perform a one-hour performance for the Special Olympics in a prime program theater. programme.

1990.2.14.

Sagent Schrevo announced a historic decision for the Soviet Union to join the Special Olympics. Special Olympics is the first charitable organization to implement such a program at USSR's local and national levels.

1990.7.20-27.

The Third European Special Olympics Summer Games was held in Strathclyde, Scotland. 2,400 athletes represented 30 European countries in eight official events and five performance events.

1991.7.19-27.

The 8th Special Olympics World Summer Games (the official name was changed from the International Games before 1991 to the Special Olympics World Summer Games or Winter Games Meeting) was held in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, with 6,000 athletes from more than 100 countries participating, creating a world-class major sports event in 1991.

1992.9.30.

The Special Olympics 25th Anniversary Conference was held at the United Nations in New York - "We Win Together" where the 25th Anniversary Travel Exhibition was officially held before the national tour.

1993.3.20-27.

The fifth Special Olympics Winter Games were held in Salzburg and Schladming (Salzburg), with more than 30 people With 1,600 athletes from 60 countries participating in 5 winter sports, this is the first time the Winter Games are held outside North America.

1995.7.1-9.

More than 7,000 athletes from 143 countries competed in 21 events at the 9th Special Olympics Summer Games in New Haven, Connecticut.

1997.2.1-8.

About 2,000 athletes from 73 countries held the 6th Special Olympics Winter Games in Toronto/Collingwood, Ontario, Canada in 1997 The biggest winter sports event.

1998.7.20.

Special Olympics celebrates 30 years of heroes and introduces 12 30th anniversary postal carriers around the world.

1998.12.17.

President Clinton and First Lady Hillary held a Christmas concert titled "A Special Christmas from Washington, D.C." at the White House to celebrate Special Olympics 30th anniversary of the meeting. The event marked the first time a President of the United States had hosted a Special Olympics event at the White House, and the first time the cast of the successful "A Very Special Christmas" came together to perform.

1999.6.26-7.4.

The 10th Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 7,000 athletes representing 150 countries participated in 19 events.

2000.1.16.

ABC's TV show Disney's Wonderful World movie "The

The Story of Loretta Claiborne" is the first time it has been released on Gold Movies about Special Olympics athletes played on TV at the time

1. A brief history of the Paralympic Games

Sports for people with disabilities can be traced back to the early Paralympic Games. During World War I, disabled soldiers on the European battlefield organized themselves to carry out rehabilitation activities. This was the prototype of the development of modern sports for people with disabilities. Stoke, England, 1948? The National Spinal Cord Injury Center in Stoke Mandeville held a sports competition for people with disabilities. At that time, only 16 disabled soldiers in wheelchairs participated. The games have been held annually since then. In 1952, due to the participation of Dutch athletes, the games evolved into an international sports event.

In 1960, immediately after the Summer Olympics, about 400 athletes from 23 European and American countries gathered in Rome. Italy hosted the World Para Games for the first time, with 8 sports competitions at that time.

In 1976, the International Organization of Disabled Persons decided that Stoke? The Mandeville Games merged with the World Para Games and held the first International Paralympic Games in Toronto, Canada, with more than 1,000 disabled athletes from more than 40 countries participating. In 1983, the International Olympic Committee decided to set up competitions for people with disabilities for the first time starting from the 1984 Summer Olympics. Since 1988, the disabled events in the Winter and Summer Olympics have been listed as permanent events; cities applying to host the Olympic Games must also apply to host the Paralympics; within one month after the Olympic Games, the disabled events will be held at the Olympic venues in the host city. People Olympic Games.

Since 1960, 11 Summer Paralympics (see attached table for details) and 7 Winter Paralympics have been held.

Attachment: Records of previous Paralympic Games

Participating countries (or regions)/number of people participating in the host city at each session

The first 1960 Rome, Italy 23 / 400

The second session in 1964, Tokyo, Japan 22/390

The third session in 1968, Tel Aviv City, Israel, 29/750

The fourth session in 1972 Heidelberg, Germany 44/1000

The fifth session in 1976, Toronto, Canada 42/1600

The sixth session in 1980, Arnhem City, the Netherlands, 42/2500

The seventh session Stoke, England, 1984? Mandeville, New York, USA 42/4080

The 8th 1988 Seoul, South Korea 61/3053

The 9th 1992 Barcelona, ??Spain 82/3020

The 10th 1996 Atlanta, USA 103/3195

The 11th 2000 Sydney, Australia 123/3843

The 12th 2004 Athens, Greece 130/4000 (estimated)< /p>

The Paralympic Games also left a brilliant record, with individual events comparable to those of the Olympic Games. For example, the Olympic record for the 100-meter dash is 9.84 seconds set by Canadian Donovan Bailey, while the Paralympic record is 10.72 seconds set by Nigerian Ajibola Adoye. There is almost no difference between the two. In addition, the Paralympic weightlifting event surpassed the Olympic weightlifting record by 12 kilograms.

2. The 12th Athens Paralympic Games

Logo and mascot

1. Organizational preparations for the Athens Paralympic Games

The 12th Athens Paralympic Games will be held from September 17th to 28th, 2004. From the International Paralympic Games (IPC) and the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, we learned that so far, Greece has made relatively smooth progress in all aspects, including accommodation, transportation and media services.

After the Summer Olympics, the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee has transformed into the Paralympic Organizing Committee. The Olympic Village and Paralympic venues will fully meet the special needs of disabled people and will not require additional construction.

The Athens 2004 Paralympic Games is a sports festival second only to the Olympic Games.

The Paralympic Games plans to use 19 Olympic competition venues, which will be appropriately adjusted according to the needs of Paralympic athletes. Athens will provide the Paralympic Games with the same level of service guarantee as the Olympic Games. At that time, the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee will invite disabled athletes and experts in disabled sports to serve as committee members, and set up a special department to be responsible for the work of the Paralympic Games.

The conversion of the Olympic Village into a Paralympic Village will provide athletes with a safe and comfortable environment, allowing them to compete at their best. The Athens Paralympic Village (also known as the Olympic Village) is located in the city of Acharnes on the northwest edge of the Athens Basin, covering an area of ??124 hectares, or 124,000m2. The Paralympic Village consists of two parts: the residential area and the city center. During the competition, the residential area will provide accommodation for athletes and coaches from all over the world, while the city center will provide them with a variety of functions and needs, such as restaurants, information centers, sports venues, shopping, etc. The residential area mainly includes 366 apartment buildings built in 19 different architectural styles, that is, 2,292 housing units and 17,420 beds. The total usable area is 254,000 m2, and there is an additional 86,000 m2 basement area. During the Olympic Games, there will be free small buses specially designed for disabled athletes to transport athletes and coaches to and from residential areas and restaurants in the Olympic Village.

The Olympic transportation system consists of urban expressways, expressways and their connecting lines between the Paralympic Village and competition venues to ensure safe and convenient transportation for athletes and officials. The time required from the Olympic Village to each competition venue is 5-10 minutes. The Paralympic family includes members of the International Paralympic Committee, presidents and secretaries-general of national and regional Paralympic Committees, members of various committees of the International Paralympic Committee, guests and staff of the International Paralympic Committee, etc. We will stay at the Hilton Hotel, the Paralympic Games Headquarters Hotel.

2. Participation status

There are 19 events in the Athens Paralympic Games, including Archery, Athletics, and Boccia. , Cycling, Equestrian, Football 5-a-side, Football 7-a-side, Goalball, Judo, Powerlifting , Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby ), Wheelchair Tennis. Among these events, 15 are the same or similar to the Athens Olympics, and the other four, namely lawn bowls, goal kick, weightlifting and wheelchair rugby, are unique to the Paralympics. Up to now, the Paralympic Committees of about 130 countries have confirmed their participation in the 2004 Paralympic Games. There will be about 4,000 athletes, 2,000 coaches, 1,000 engineering and technical personnel, 2,500 Paralympic staff, 3,000 news media representatives and 15,000 volunteers have signed up to participate in the Paralympic Games involving 19 competition venues, 19 sports and 526 minor events.

2. China and the Paralympics

1. A brief history of China’s participation in the Paralympics

(1) In June 1984, China sent 24 A Paralympic delegation composed of disabled athletes participated in the 7th Paralympic Games held in Nassau County, New York, USA. Ping Yali, a blind girl from Beijing, won the women's B2 long jump gold medal, achieving China's "zero breakthrough" in gold medals in Olympic history. At this Paralympic Games, the Chinese delegation won 2 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 9 bronze medals. Another 9 people broke the world record.

(2) In October 1988, the Eighth Paralympic Games was held in Seoul, South Korea. China has 43 athletes with disabilities participating in four events: track and field, swimming, table tennis and shooting, winning 17 gold medals, 17 silver medals and 10 bronze medals, and 11 of them broke 9 world records.

(3) In September 1992, China sent a delegation of 34 disabled athletes to participate in the 9th Paralympics held in Barcelona, ??Spain. Chinese athletes won 11 gold medals and 7 gold medals. Silver medal, 7 bronze medals. The number of gold medals ranks 11th among all delegations, and the number of medals ranks 18th. Another eight people broke seven world records 14 times, and 11 people broke Paralympic records 21 times.

(4) In August 1996, China participated in the 10th Paralympic Games held in Atlanta, USA. The team of 37 athletes won 16 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 10 bronze medals, and 10 people broke 11 world records 16 times. The total number of gold medals ranked 9th, ranking among the top ten sports for the disabled in the world for the first time.

(5) In October 2000, China sent a large-scale disabled sports delegation composed of 122 people to participate in the 11th Paralympics held in Sydney, and *** won 34 medals Gold medals, 22 silver medals, and 16 bronze medals, among which the gold medal ranks sixth. At the same time, 15 people set 15 world records 25 times, and 4 people broke 4 Paralympic records 4 times, thus writing the most glorious page in the history of the Chinese Paralympic Games.

In general, the Special Olympics are for people with mental problems. The Paralympics are sports games for people with physical disabilities. Physical disabilities do not necessarily mean intellectual problems.< /p>