Macau’s clinched no fewer than 144 medals in the eight-day 9th National Special Olympic Games (NSOG) which were held in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, and ended on Monday,
The Post interviewed Macau Special Olympics (MSO) National Director Hetzer Siu Yu Hong yesterday.
During the interview at JW Marriot Hotel Macau in Cotai’s Galaxy Macau resort, Siu expressed great pride in the NSOG athletes’ performances.
Siu highlighted that the Games involved many parents who proactively attended the competitions to watch and witness their children compete, a phenomenon he found both heartening and touching.
Siu also said he hopes that this enthusiasm will continue, as it is boosting the confidence of athletes with special needs and fostering greater public care and understanding for persons with disabilities, thereby further advancing social inclusion.
Siu also said that the local team’s outstanding performance was primarily due to Macau’s role as one of the Games’ co-organisers. This provided certain advantages in event selection and athlete scheduling, allowing for more thorough pre-competition preparations, he acknowledged.
Siu pointed out that, in recent years, thanks to local government support and the systematic development through training squads, Macau has increased the number of athletes with disabilities available for competition, contributing to the rise in medal counts. He also said that, compared to some regions in the Chinese mainland that may have fewer foundational training teams, Macau benefits from greater consistency and continuity in its training programmes for athletes with disabilities.
MSO’s hotel job training aims to enhance job competitiveness of intellectually disabled
Meanwhile, the Macau Special Olympics’ job training programme for those with intellectual disabilities, in collaboration with the government’s Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and JW Marriott Hotel Macau, aims to enable participants to acquire employment competitiveness, with the graduation ceremony of this year’s programme held yesterday.
The training programme was launched in 2021, which marked its fourth year, and since its initial development, the training programme has seen 20 participants graduate. It offers positions in linen rooms and public cleaning departments for persons with disabilities, enabling them to gain work experience equivalent to those of other staff members.
In addition to supporting the intellectually disabled in participating in sports, the Macau Special Olympics also provides them with various other types of social services including occupational rehabilitation, as well as providing support for those with special education needs.
Yesterday’s graduation ceremony, held in the hotel’s conference room, was attended by Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) Deputy Director Chan Tze Wai, JW Marriott Hotel Macau Operations Director Chan Weng Hei and Human Resources Director Cheang Chia Yu, Macau Special Olympic (MSO) National Director Hetzer Siu Yu Hong, Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) Social Solidarity Department Acting Head Sou Chi Kuan, and MSO Vocational Rehabilitation Department Manager Kan Wa Heng.
According to Siu, this time, the four interns demonstrated during their 10-week paid internship, significant improvements in skills, communication, and stress resilience. They earned recognition from their respective departments, laying a solid foundation for their entry into the workforce, he said.
Siu highlighted the programme’s notable outcomes: the public employment rate for participants in the first three sessions exceeded 50 percent, with some directly hired by hotels and others successfully entering industries such as cleaning and catering. This demonstrates that individuals with special needs can secure positions based on their performance, he said.
Siu also said he hopes that the programme can evolve from a one-time initiative into a permanent project, consistently providing employment pathways for people of diverse abilities. He also encouraged more enterprises to join, aiming to achieve the dual benefit of social inclusion and talent development.
Macau Special Olympic (MSO) National Director Hetzer Siu Yu Hong poses after yesterday’s graduation ceremony at JW Marriott Hotel Macau, Galaxy Macau, in Cotai. – Photo: Armindo Neves
