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Ceremony in Greece honors Special Olympics founder

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-27 17:26

ATHENS - Maria Shriver and other dignitaries gathered for the unveiling of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Park on Sunday in Athens, Greece, to honor the memory and monumental contributions of the Special Olympics founder as part of the World Summer Games 2011.

Shriver gave a statement paying tribute to her mother's legacy as her brothers Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, Mark Shriver and Robert Shriver looked on, along with their spouses and children.

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Second Lady of the United States Jill Biden, Olympians Michelle Kwan, Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, Bart Conner, Edwin Moses and Donna DeVarona were also present for this ceremony.

"Mummy would be thrilled that this park is in Athens because it's named after the Goddess Athena. As we all know, the Goddess Athena is the goddess of wisdom, but she is never depicted without her shield and without her helmet because she is a warrior. At heart, she is a warrior," said Shriver.

"The park is marked by a marble monument inscribed with the word 'EYNIKH' (ef-ni-ki), Greek for Eunice, which translated means 'Good Victory' - a phrase that so accurately describes her commitment to human triumphs both large and small," Shriver added.

Located in the Maroussi municipality of Athens, it is close to the OAKA stadium, which, built for the 2004 Olympics, is now home to many of Special Olympics World Summer Games sporting events including tennis, athletics and volleyball.

The Special Olympics World Summer Games began Saturday night with Opening Ceremonies at the Panathenaic Stadium, home of the very first Olympics, and featured performances by Stevie Wonder and Vanessa Williams.

The two-week event is the world's largest multi-day summer sporting event this year and will conclude after two weeks of competition on July 4, uniting nearly 7,000 exceptionally talented athletes to compete in 22 Olympic-type sports, as well as 125 coaches from nearly 180 countries and regions.

Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives through the power of encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide.

Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to more than 3.7 million athletes in over 170 countries and regions, providing year-world sports training, athletic, competition and other related programs.