Taipei , December 4 — More than 600 Special Olympics athletes and officials from six countries gathered here from Dec. 2 to Dec. 4 for the 2006 Special Olympics East Asia Regional Bocce Competition, hosted by Special Olympics Chinese Taipei.

Involved in the competition were 3 1 Taipei teams and 12 SOEA teams from Hong Kong, Macau, the Republic of Korea , Malaysia and Indonesia .

The event marked the first time aboriginals from Miaoli County , including Princess Weiyu Lin, took part in an event organized by SOEA. Eight Miaoli aboriginal athletes, each dressed in traditional costume, also took to the limelight during an elaborate opening ceremony.

Roughly 300 Taipei-area volunteers helped receive athletes, volunteers and coaches from throughout the region, and also served as translators and interpreters. Cool air greeted competition participants from tropical countries like Malaysia and Indonesia , and SOCT volunteers prepared hot soup and drinks to help acclimate the visiting athletes.

During the games, enthusiastic athletes encouraged one another and frequently gave each other “high fives” to show their good sportsmanship. The games concluded on Dec. 4, with Chinese Taipei taking eight gold medals, six silver medals and one bronze medal.

In a move to further integrate and empower people with intellectual abilities, officials for the SOEA Regional Bocce Competition for the first time trained SO athletes to be referees and trained senior SO athletes to become volunteers. Special Olympics initiatives focused on increasing communication and cooperation among families, athletes and coaches also were pushed forward during the competition, including Special Olympics Healthy Athletes, Family Support Network, Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs and Special Olympics Get into It.

Bocce is a lawn sport which is easy to learn and provides hours of fun. The sport is one of SOCT's most popular sports programs because it demands teamwork and team spirit, and it promotes the growth of Unified Sports teams.

Guided by Hou You-yi, Director-General of National Police Agency of Chinese Taipei, and escorted by over 500 policemen riding on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run raised the curtain on the bocce competition. The policemen who participated in the symbolic torch run pledged to support and publicize Special Olympics' motto, “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”