I joined Special Olympics Pakistan in 1990. For 15 years I enjoyed playing many sports. Many of my friends got selected for different World Games. Since I was quite weak—my turn never came. I didn’t loose hope. When Alps started in 2001 I was the first Global Messenger and Asst-Coach. My speech coach Daulat, and my family got the best out of me. My first experience was in front of 3000 people at a Family Network Program.. Where the Management was getting stage fright—I spoke like a born speaker. People had never heard an athlete speak on stage.

This was the 2nd National Games hosted by Palmerston North, Manawatu, the 1st was in 1990. 1,067 athletes from 43 Clubs attended the Games and competed in 10 sports: Aquatics, Athletics, Basketball, Bocce, Equestrian, Football, Golf, Indoor Bowls, Powerlifting and Tenpin Bowling. The Games Organising Committee is to be congratulated for recruiting and uniforming nearly 1,000 volunteers. This National Games received unprecedented TV, radio & media coverage which can only be great for the future growth & development of Special Olympics

Special Olympics is organizing an International Cricket Carnival for people with intellectual disability in Delhi from October 28 to November 1, 2009. Six countries are participating in this carnival which will provide an international platform to players with intellectual disability, to display their talent and compete in an excellent tournament. China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia Nepal and 4 teams from India are participating in this mega event.

‘Special Olympics is organizing International Cricket Carnival’ in Delhi, from 28th Oct- 1st Nov’09. Special Olympics is an unprecedented global movement which aims at providing quality sports training & competition, improves the lives of people with intellectual disabilities & in turn the lives of everyone they touch. The tournament kicked off with the welcome address of athletes and coaches. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was Raja Randhir Singh, Vice Chiarman Commonwealth Games Organizing committee & Secretary General Indian Olympic Association, He lighted the torch along with Dr. John Dow Jr. Managing Director, Special Olympics Asia Pacific.

Family members of a person with intellectual disability often feel confused and alone. The Special Olympics Family Support Network provides them acceptance, resources, hope, and a chance to become advocates – making them a valued voice in our movement.

Chittagong (April 4). Special Olympics Bangladesh in Collaboration with their sponsor & partner “GrameenPhone” organized a sports competition & talent hunt event at the BKSP regional center in Chittagong. A total of 405 athletes from 11 districts competed at the event. It was a four day event, providing competition opportunities to athletes in sports like Football, Athletics, Swimming, Cricket, Bocce and Badminton.

On June 7 2009 Special Olympics Malaysia Screened 150 athletes at an Opening eyes screening event The Special Olympics-Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program is a vision and eye health screening in partnership with the Lions Clubs International Foundation. Led by volunteer vision care professionals, Opening Eyes is able to offer prescription eyewear, sunglasses, and sports goggles to Special Olympics athletes.

Mr. Joseph Vithanage, Chairman of Special Olympics Sri Lanka welcomed the participants and briefed on activities of Special Olympics. Mr.E.M.G.Tillakaratne , President of Ceylon Association for Mentally Retarded addressed the audience on importance of participating in Special Olympics activities and thanked SOSL for providing this opportunity for the special schools under Ceylon Association for Mentally Retarded..

Special Olympics Laos Organized a Healthy Athletes Opening Eyes Screening event at the Rehabilitation Center at Vientiane Capital on July 26th 2009. Opening eyes is a discipline of Healthy Athletes Program in which athletes are screened for vision impairment and other ailments related to eyes or vision. Vice Chairman of Special Olympics Laos, Dr. Boonhome Kanthavong presided over the opening ceremony of the event. Thirty-nine athletes were examined at the screening and were given Frames & Sunglasses based on their screening results and requirements.

Special Olympics Vietnam conducted a football coaching training in Hai Phong on March 16, 2009 for special educators. Hai Phong is a small province and about 110 Km east of Hanoi capital city. There are two schools for handicapped children and each school has about 40 to 50 intellectual disabilities children.

On the eve of their Southern regional games, Special Olympics Thailand organized a Healthy Athletes - Special smiles screening event on 18 June 2009. Special Olympics Special Smiles offers free dental screening, oral health information, and instructions on brushing and flossing properly to participating Special Olympics athletes, as well as preventative supplies like toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Rajasthan state program of Special Olympics Bharat organized a district level Healthy Athlete Screening for Fit Feet on 3 August 2009, along with district level Badminton and Bocce competition for Healthy Athlete’s. Fit Feet is a Healthy Athlete’s Discipline in which Medical Professionals evaluate athletes for deformities of the feet, ankles, lower extremity biomechanics, checking for proper shoe and sock gear, provide education on the proper shoes and socks, and provide community referrals as needed.

Special Olympics (SO) Singapore hosted 600 Special Olympics athletes from Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, and Timor Leste at the 7th Special Olympics Singapore National Games from 5 to 8 June.

The 10 week long Eunice Kennedy Shriver Fellowship program which commenced from 12th June and culminated on 22nd August served as a unique professional development opportunity for mid career individuals from Russia, Pakistan, India, South Africa and Kenya interested in NGO efforts benefitting people with intellectual disabilities. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended.

Through sport, Special Olympics empowers people with intellectual disability to achieve unimaginable joy, acceptance and success. As their lives begin to open up, athletes seek new challenges, and new ways to utilize their experience and the lessons they have learned. Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs allow athletes to explore opportunities for greater participation in our movement beyond sports training and competition: as coaches, officials, team captains, spokespeople and Board and committee members. Along these lines Special Olympics Philippines organized Speech Training for 10 athletes and their mentors under Athlete Leadership Programs.

HYANNIS, MA (August 11, 2009) - Eunice Kennedy Shriver died early this morning at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts, surrounded by her family. She was 88 years old. Near her at the time of her death were her husband, R. Sargent Shriver; her five children: Robert “Bobby” Sargent Shriver III, Maria Owings Shriver, Timothy Perry Shriver, Mark Kennedy Shriver and Anthony Paul Kennedy Shriver, as well as their spouses and all of her nineteen grandchildren.

The younger sister of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Shriver was the founder and honorary chairperson of Special Olympics, and executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation.