China yesterday pledged to train one million athletes with intellectual disabilities by the year 2010.

Wang Zhijun, chairman of Special Olympics China, said the country will continue to increase financial input in the cause of disabled people, and use the opportunities of the Shanghai Special Olympics to speed up the efforts and help mentally challenged people integrate with society.

China has nearly 83 million disabled people, of whom about 9.8 million people are intellectually disabled.

The number of Chinese intellectually disabled athletes has grown to 650,000, thanks to strong government support in the past few years.

Wang said the Chinese government attaches great importance to the cause of the disabled, as shown in arrangements for the Shanghai Games.

Shanghai's Minghang District, a venue for part of the Special Olympics sports and events, invested a total of 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million) in the Games, Wang said.

He said China plans to build special schools for the intellectually disabled in 400 counties with populations of more than 300,000.

The Shanghai Games is the first Special Olympics in China, and the first in a developing country.

Since its founding in 1968, the Special Olympics has become a comprehensive, large-scale sports event. China has sent athletes to all the summer and winter Games since 1987.

President Hu Jintao has said the Special Olympics encourages the intellectually disabled to challenge themselves and realize the value of their lives, and help them to share with others the achievements of human civilization.

Hu told Special Olympics International Chairman Timothy Shriver earlier that his country will continue to give care and support to the disabled.

Zhao Sujing, spokesman for the Chinese delegation, said more than 1,700 Chinese athletes, aged eight to 58, participated in all 21 competitive sports and four demonstration sports in Shanghai.

Three hundred international volunteers, including 100 doctors, have helped care for participants in the Games.

The doctors flew to Shanghai at their own expense, Song Junyao, an official in charge of the "Healthy Athletes" program, said yesterday.

"Their devotion and dedication moved many people here in China," Song said.