For nine days this fall, China was a celebration of the human spirit.

News - The Idaho Statesman - Editorial:

In a country where human rights have not traditionally been a priority, where families have been pulled apart by government policy, October's dress rehearsal for the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games stood in stark relief. There was human respect conveyed toward persons with intellectual disabilities in a way that makes us excited to see how China could evolve as the world's attentions begin to focus on this global powerhouse in advance of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The Special Olympics training games held in October are in part a systems check for the 2008 summer games. These training games focused the attention of China — and the sports world — on the commitment to self-improvement of thousands of athletes. In the games at Shanghai, tens of thousands of energized sports fans turned out for a glimpse at the exposition and competitive drama of international sport.

In 2009, Idaho will serve as an international host as the Special Olympics World Winter Games return to North America for the first time in 15 years. To help the Idaho-based host committee understand the magnitude of the job of hosting as many as 3,000 athletes from some 85 countries, host committee organizers were invited to Shanghai to get some firsthand experience.