20,000 registered volunteers also made this special Olympics the largest volunteer program in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Xinhua News Agency, Abu Dhabi, March 19th: dedication to love and harvest smiles-Chinese volunteers at the World Special Olympics
Xinhua News Agency reporter Zheng Zhi
The ongoing Abu Dhabi World Summer Special Olympics has created the number of delegations, with a number of records including the number of female athletes, 20,000 registered volunteers have also made this special Olympics the largest volunteer program in the Middle East and North Africa. Among these 20,000 people, many are from China.
“My name is Zhan Yunting, 14 years old this year.” “My name is cha Yue, and I am 16 years old this year.” In the volleyball arena, two little girls from Shanghai are busy on the sidelines. Cleaning the ball, passing the ball, and wiping the floor after the athlete falls down are all their jobs.
“Serving Special Olympics players is a very valuable opportunity, so I signed up.” Cha Yue said, “this (although) is my first time to participate in the volunteer service of the competition, I have always wanted to participate and I think they all need help.”
Cha Yue said that it was very comfortable to get along with the athletes, and everyone was polite, regardless of national boundaries. “Some teams will bow in a row after the game and say ‘hard work ‘.” What impressed her most was the smiles of Special Olympics players. “Every time I see it, I feel very infectious.”
In Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, which is the main venue of this special Olympics, another team is active: With the support of international Teo East Asia and Shanghai Special Care Foundation, shanghai Qingxin Youth Development Promotion Center and “I-like” youth activity platform are oriented to high school students, through the organization of “integration running” and other activities, eleven volunteers were selected to Abu Dhabi in Special Olympics knowledge training and other links.
In table tennis stadium, 11 volunteers covered all aspects such as information desk consultation, family reception area reception, language service and guest reception, their enthusiasm runs through the whole process of athletes and their families arriving and leaving the stadium.
The “Healthy Athletes program” of Special Olympics aims to improve the physical condition of Special Olympics athletes, who will be examined in eight links, including “healthy smile” and “Bright Eyes. Here, Wang Lan is assisting the implementation of this link as a volunteer.
The Special Olympics was held in Ireland in 2003. At that time, a group of doctors were selected in China to receive the training of the “Healthy Athletes program. As a senior doctor in spine and spinal cord of China Rehabilitation Research Center, Wang Lan participated in the training and served many competitions such as the 2007 Shanghai Special Olympics. Before, it was the nature of work, but after retirement, it basically appeared as volunteers.
“Sometimes you should pay attention to participating in some large-scale activities, which are the world of young people. If you accidentally fall, you will bring trouble to others.” Grandma Wang, 74, said. However, she took a 9-hour flight to Abu Dhabi this time to provide guidance for the health check here. Due to the self-care expenses, her room was also “rubbed” with the familiar Project team staff.
“Do some work to enrich your life when your arms and legs are fine.” Grandma Wang always smiles, “there is nothing else. Serving the Special Olympics players, you can be happy.”