My dear kids distinguish guests, ladies and gentleman, welcome to Young Athletes Demonstration.

Health doesn’t start from 8, foundation skills like loco-motor, non-loco motor skills and the manipulative skills should be introduced and trained under 8. Better foundation showed the seeds for the further development of physical health of the athletes.

In early 2007, Special Olympics created this pilot program to reach out to children with intellectual disabilities ages 2 to 7. Innovative sports play program for children with intellectual disabilities is designed the children prior to attend the Special Olympics at age eight.

Not only do the sports play program provide the means for the children to play and mingle (it trains the social skills), but also provide a chance for children to solve the problems (that is cognitive skills) like how to throw a ball in a proper way, when to do follow through. Better still, it also trains up the hand-eye coordination, muscular strength, muscular endurance, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular strength of the children. Without these health related physical fitness, hardly can our children get rid of the infant child obesity and diabetes which hit the children badly in this decade.  

However, without the element of play, hardly will children from 2-7 do exercise regularly and intrinsically. Therefore we should support the Young Athletes programs.

Thank you very much!

Tam Wai Yip - Special Olympics International Global Messenger (Class 07-09)

Michael Lam Huen Sum - Mentor of Special Olympics International Global Messenger (Class 07 - 09)