Almost on the home stretch

The scene at a Beijing sports stadium is in keeping with the slogan of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, Shanghai - I know I can. Here, 30-year-old Ma Yunli trains under an early autumn sunshine, with 63 other athletes, for the upcoming event that will be held from October 2 to 11.

Barring the uniform white sports jerseys and the professional coaches, the special Chinese national athletics team is a mix of people with different degrees of intellectual disability, of different genders, different ages and from different regions.

The athletes are divided into four groups, practicing sprint, middle and long distance running, jumping and throwing. These groups are further split into three smaller teams based on their sporting capabilities.

As per the rules of the Special Olympics, all the athletes must undergo eight weeks of training before participating in the event.

"We get up at 6 in the morning and have four hours of training every day," Ma Yunli tells China Daily. "It is a little tiring but I am so happy to be here."

The girl from Northwest China's Shaanxi Province was born with low intelligence and also suffers from a heart disease. Before becoming involved in the Special Olympic program in 2002, the 1.39-meter-tall girl used to weigh 78 kilograms and kept herself locked away from the outside world - for 25 years.

Now, 20 kilograms lighter, she is one of the athlete leaders of the China Special Olympics, and an active promoter of the Special Olympics in her hometown.

Five years ago, she was selected by the local disabled persons' association to take part in the Third National Special Olympic Games in Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi.

"That was the first time we heard of the Special Olympics," says Ma's father Ma Sixiang. "We had no idea what would happen to my daughter if she went to the event."

To his surprise, his daughter finished second in the women's push-ups and fourth in the sit-ups. What pleased him even more was that Ma Yunli's hard working and caring personality elicited much praise from her teammates, the officials and the local media.

"After the three-month trip to Xi'an, my daughter seemed to have become a different person," Ma Sixiang recalls.

"She looks much better. She now has more confidence in herself, is more active and willing to meet people.

"She used to be so scared when meeting people but now she always takes a small notepad with her when going out, writing down names and addresses. She is passionate about learning new things, reading simple novels and even picking up some English."

At the training camp, Ma Yunli continues her study of English, and looks forward to communicating with friends from abroad at the Shanghai event.

"I can only speak some simple English words," she says, as she takes out two pieces of paper from her pocket and reads:

"My name is Ma Yunli. I am from China. Glad to meet you."

(China Daily 09/11/2007 page20)