Special Olympians are athletes who are mentally challenged and need to be adequately prepared for the Games.

The 19 athletes going to Shanghai and their coaches will be required to register before midday today and then receive a briefing on hygiene from a leading health care products manufacturer.

Informal games will be played to get the athletes to interact while the coaches meet to assess the progress made so far by the athletes.

Day two will cover the general information on China, its geographical location, languages and culture before the athletes move for specific discipline training under their coaches.

Zimbabwe has elected to field athletes in athletics, aquatics, bocce and golf.

This year marks the first time that the Special Olympics are being held in Asia where almost 7 500 mentally challenged athletes from 160 countries are expected to attend.

More than 40,000 volunteers, at least 3,500 event officials and hundreds of family members as support staff, are set to help in the 25 disciplines on offer at the Games.

Janak Kara, Nomore Kwaramba, Tinashe Mndoza and Tina van Der Walt have been selected for the aquatics competitions and Bev Cockroft is their coach.

Shadreck Swartz, Trevor Zartmann, Maria Bezuidenhout and Elinah Ndlovu make up the bocce team under Oripa Mubika.

Bonifas Mahachi and Meyer Rick are guiding the golfers who include Knox Darare, Moses Mangaba, Charlton Sunga, Christine Chitongo, Esther Chingono and Viren Mehta.

Natalia Machanzi, Blessing Mukwanda, Godfrey Kamanga, Tessa Chiremba and Bekhi Lunga are set to take part in the track and field events under coaches Steve Sainet and Christine Rimbi.

SOZ sports director Mike Mazonde and Bonny Woodman will lead the delegation set to leave Zimbabwe on September 28.