Shanghai, August 13, 2022 – Special Olympics East Asia (SOEA) held a press conference to officially announce the China Snowboarder Olympic Champion Su Yiming, as the new Regional Ambassador for SOEA. As Regional Ambassador, he will work closely with SOEA to promote the Special Olympics movement and build "acceptance, equality and respect" for people withintellectual disabilities. At the same time, Su Yiming and his team (Endeavor China) and Shanmeng jointly donated a creative portrait specially created by contemporary artist Shen Jingdong for Su Yiming. Funds raised from this auction item will be donated to the China Friendship Foundation for Peace & Development (CFFFPD) to support the Special Olympics movement in the future.
At the press conference, Dr. Shi Derong, Special Olympics International Global Board member, together with Special Olympics Global Ambassador Li Na, Special Olympics East Asia Athlete Li Xiang and Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Li Xikui jointly presented Su Yiming with a certificate of appointment. Dr. Shi Derong, Special Olympics Global Board M, said: "As China's first winter snowboard champion, Su Yiming has written history and is a role modelfor the younger generation to learn from. We are honored to have Su Yiming as Special Olympics East Asia Ambassador, working with Na Li, Yang Yang, Zou Shiming and other world champions who have served as Special Olympics Ambassadors Jointly promote the sustainable development of the Special Olympics movement. ”
Freda M. Fung, SOEA President and Managing Director, sent a video greeting to welcome Su Yiming as our newest and youngest Regional Ambassador while thanking all the supporters for their participation. She quotes, “Since our founder, Mrs. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, started the Special Olympics movement in 1968, the organization has grown to over 200 countries and territories serving millions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. We are excited to welcome Su Yiming to join our movement and we are sure he will greatly inspire many more youths to realize the importance of inclusion and acceptance of all individuals.”
"I am very honored to be appointed as the SOEA Ambassador. I hope to do my best to promote snowboarding and self-improvement sportsmanship to more people, and this includes special individuals groups. I feel lucky that I have achieved my dream through hard work. Everyone has a dream, and every dream is worth trying and working hard. Through the Special Olympics movement, through sports and people with intellectual disabilities we can inspire each other and build friendships, we can all feel the true charm of sports and let more people feel inclusion, equality and integration, while at the same time to chase their dreams.”
Born in 2004 in Jilin City, Jilin Province, Su Yiming began practicing snowboarding at the age of 4 under the influence of his parents. From his acting role as "little plug" in the film, "Wise Tiger Mountain" to China's youngest Winter Olympic champion, Su Yiming wrote a new chapter in the history of Chinese snowboarding and became an excellent representative of China's new generation of youth. This is also the second time that Endeavor China has partnered with Special Olympics after Li Na became a Special Olympics Global Ambassador, promoting the integration and development of its top Chinese athletes and Special Olympics athletes.
