It is not to make the champions of the games, but to make the champions of life, Joanna Despotopoulou, president of special Olympics Hellas, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua before the lighting ceremony for the Shanghai Special Olympic Games.

The 12th World Summer Special Olympic Games will be held in Shanghai from October 2 to 12 while the lighting ceremony of the Flame of Hope will be held on the sacred site of Pnyka in Athens on Friday, 29th of June.

She said the motto for Olympic Games "Faster, Higher and Stronger" now is very popular while the motto for Special Olympic Games are three words chosen from Olympic Anthem , that is, Beautiful, Great and Truth.

"If we give a chance to our special athletes, they can do beautiful things and we feel greatness inside us. If we believe the children can make it, we can see it become true," Joanna elaborated the motto.

She said that "What we want is to enable our athletes to learn certain things through sports. That means we have to make them understand what is the rule, how to implement the instructions given from their coaches as well as to how learn to do team works."

"If they can understand these, they will be able to learn specific jobs in the future. If they have these qualities, it could be easier for them to be included equally in the community and to live independently," said Joanna.

"My understanding of Olympic spirits is that one day we can realize what is beautiful, the great and the true. We try to inspire others to give people of disabilities an equal chance to be included in the societies no matter how different they are," said she.

Joanna was an economist and once took the post of Secretary-General in Ministry of Health and Social Solidarity. She said her husband could provide her what she need. Therefore, she abandoned her career and dedicated herself to the cause for those intellectually disabled people in the past 21 years. Her two sons are also the volunteers working for the Special Olympics Hellas.

She extended her gratitude towards her husband for his support and encouragement.

"I am happy with what I have done towards the intellectually disabled people. It is very rewarding. You give these people one in love, you get ten times more from them."

The first special Olympic Games started from 1968. Among the 170 million intellectually disabled people worldwide, some 2.25 million people have participated in the special Olympic activities.