Yao ming and athletes

July 21, 2006, Beijing: The 2007 Special Olympics World Games Executive Committee launched a series of public service announcements (PSA) today at the Beijing Millennium Monument.  Through these PSAs, themed “Our Children”, the 2007 Special Olympics World Games Executive Committee is reaching out to people from all walks of life to encourage support and participation for the 2007 Special Olympics Games.
   
Secretary-general of the 2007 Special Olympics World Games Steering Committee, and Deputy Secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal Government, Mr. Yao Mingbao said, “The SO athletes appearing in this video clip are ordinary members of the society, yet they represent a group that needs more care and support from others. In sports, they realize their own values and display to us their courage, confidence and perseverence that reflect the SO spirit. I hope and I believe that this promotion campaign will further enhance the public awareness of social responsibilities and engage more people in SO movement and the welfare cause of people with intellectual disabilities.”

Yao Ming, the 2007 Special Olympics ambassador and well-known basketball player, along with ten other Chinese celebrities, attended the press conference to support the Special Olympics.  Together with Special Olympics athletes, the celebrities kicked off the PSA launch ceremony.   

The “Our Children” PSAs, created and produced by 4A advertising company Grey Global, focus on depicting the potential of Special Olympics athletes and demonstrating their resilience and the self-confidence gained from participation in Special Olympics. Based on real life stories of athletes, each of the three PSAs features a Special Olympics competition.    

The 2007 Summer Olympics Games will be held in Shanghai in October 2007.  With over 170 countries expected to participate, the Games will be China’s largest international sports event to date.

The 2006 summer Special Olympics PSAs will be released to the public soon.