The 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, which closed in Shanghai on Thursday, is expected to leave strong legacies for China's harmonious development and the long-awaited Beijing Olympic Games next year, sports officials and scholars say.

Marking the first time the Games have been held in a developing country, and in Asia, the event has "set many new historical records" and will "leave rich and comprehensive Special Olympics legacies", said Shanghai Vice Mayor Zhou Taitong.

"It was unprecedented in its 39-year history and will be a turning point for intellectually disabled people if we look back years later," said Timothy Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics International.

Since Shanghai became the host city of the Special Olympics, it has tried to use the event to promote awareness of people with intellectual disabilities among the local population.

"In a sense, the 'Sunshine Homes' and 'Sunshine Workshops' were the fruits of the Special Olympics. They will be expanded over time even after the Games," said Cao Ziping, Deputy Secretary of the Games Steering Committee.

In the past few years, 240 "Sunshine Homes", a local charity system that offers care for the mentally disabled, have been established in most neighborhood communities in Shanghai, benefiting about 11,500 people most in need.

Fifty "Sunshine Workshops" were established this year alone to give disabled people a place to work and live on their own.

According to the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF), China has about 12 million intellectually disabled people, and 620,000 of them have participated in the Special Olympics movement at all levels.

In an ambitious plan, the country vows to increase the number of the intellectually challenged athletes to one million by 2010.

Zhao Sujing, deputy director of the CDPF sports department, said China has started to expand Special Olympics from special schools to communities. To date, 1,000 communities around the country have launched Special Olympics campaigns.

Shriver and many others said they believe although China has made rapid progress, it still has a long way to go.

"Through the Shanghai Games we can find we still have great room for improvement compared with the extensiveness and depth of Special Olympics in developed countries," Wang Xinxian, head of the Chinese delegation, said.

"The Games has opened up a new era for the Special Olympics movement both in China and around the world ... I believe more people with intellectual disabilities will be attracted to the Games and this will help to build an inclusive, joyful and harmonious world," said Shriver.

At the Global Policy Summit on the Well-being of People with Intellectual Disabilities, the Commitment to Changing Lives was agreed with the aim of reinforcing services and support for people with intellectual disabilities and their families worldwide.

The Global Youth Summit has addressed issues such as verbal discrimination and prejudice over people with intellectual disabilities.

"Summits and salons held during the Games will surely have a positive impact on people's attitudes towards the intellectually disabled, and propel more people to care and support them," said Yang Xiong, an academician with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Apart from being a humanitarian affair, the Special Olympics, as a sports event, "has also set many records", said Zhou Sujing.

Zhou said more countries, regions and participants have been involved in the Games than ever before. Statistics show 7,450 athletes from 165 countries and regions took part in the Games' 21 disciplines.

In addition, more than 20,000 family members of the intellectually disabled athletes, 1,438 journalists, 40,000 volunteers from all over the world and some VIPs also attended the games. Chinese President Hu Jintao announced the opening of the event.

"It has been the biggest sports event ever held in China and will provide comprehensive experiences for large events to be held in the country, including the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai Expo," said Zhou.

(Xinhua News Agency October 12, 2007)