�����Shanghai, China. — October 2 - 11, 2007 — The Walt Disney Company celebrates the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, being held in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, with live broadcasts and activities around the world. The games, opening on Tuesday, October 2, will be the first to be held in Asia and will run though October 11th, giving Special Olympics athletes of all ability levels the opportunity to compete in 25 different�Olympic-type and demonstration�sports.

����� ABC Family, Part of the Disney-ABCTelevision Group, will air the Opening Ceremony of the Games on Thursday, October 4 (5:00PM–7:00PM ET/PT), giving millions of viewers in the United States the opportunity to experience this wonderful event. The ceremony will become the biggest event ever broadcast from China and bring together over 7,500 athletes from 164 nations and officials from 175 countries. By special invitation, Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group and Special Olympics International board member, will also be in attendance, joining the United States Presidential Delegation.

The celebration will reflect the many talents of the artistic and performing communities in China and transmit the inspiring ideals of the Special Olympics movement to the hearts of its viewers. Harmony: The Common Dream of Humanity is the central theme of the Opening, which will be reflected and reinforced throughout the event, portraying the four pillars of Special Olympics: courage, sharing, skill and joy.

The celebration will reflect the many talents of the artistic and performing communities in China and transmit the inspiring ideals of the Special Olympics movement to the hearts of its viewers. Harmony: The Common Dream of Humanity is the central theme of the Opening, which will be reflected and reinforced throughout the event, portraying the four pillars of Special Olympics: courage, sharing, skill and joy.

In addition to broadcasts of events throughout the course of the Games, The Walt Disney Company is working with local communities in an effort to honor children in a variety of different ways. On September 29th, Disney China and the American Chamber of Commerce (=Ommerve AmCham) Shanghai hosted a celebration of children at the Shanghai Children’s Palace. The Palace, which provides a safe after school and weekend place for children to play and learn, opened its doors to 100 children and other special guests. In the spirit of China’s “I am Ten Years Old” holiday which recognizes the milestone of turning ten, a Disney themed birthday party was held. Selected by Shanghai Children's Palace, for their academic accomplishments, talents and overall compassion for the world, 40 ten-year old children in total, from Yuyuan, XIanhyang, Jiangning and Wuning primary schools were in attendance to celebrate their special birthdays. They were joined by 10 Special Olympic Athletes from the U.S. delegation and 40 children from the Baoshan Peizhi School, half whom performed traditional dances for the other guests. Magic shows, dancing and even storytelling by Zhao Zengzeng, Special Olympics Ambassador, Shanghai, were enjoyed by all including Kenneth Jarrett, U.S. Consulate General to Shanghai, Brenda Foster, President, AmCham Shanghai and The Walt Disney Company China executives Stanley Cheung and Jun Tang. Shanghai Disney VoluntEARS were also present and joined the children in a variety of activities.

�����During the Games, in collaboration with the Shanghai Youth League, Disney VoluntEARS will also be on hand at the Athletes’ Village to welcome delegates from around the world and help celebrate their accomplishments. There, the athletes will spend time with some of their favorite Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at a special meet and greet.

�����To the West, in Africa, Disney VoluntEARS hosted a special viewing of Disney·Pixar’s film Ratatouille in an effort to raise funds for Special Olympics athletes who will participate in the Games, representing Kenya.

�����"We are delighted to�actively support�the Special Olympics World Games 2007 through the participation of our Disney VoluntEARS,” expressed Stanley Cheung, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company, Greater China. “This is a great opportunity to reach out to the local community and�as a company we are proud to be able to�make a difference."

�����To further expand the involvement of The Walt Disney Company, ESPN.com will create a dedicated Special Olympics World Games Page, where fans can obtain general information and top stories from the Games, a schedule of events, athlete profiles, have the opportunity to participate in polls, view videos of the events and even get travel tips on China. ESPN360.com will stream the opening ceremonies on Tuesday, October 2 at 7:00 a.m. USET for two hours, with available replays for the following two days while ESPN STAR Sports will deliver Asia-wide coverage of the Games Opening Ceremony, ‘live’ on STAR Sports China from 1900HKT to 2230HKT and on all other beams of STAR Sports from 2100HKT to 2230HKT. Daily highlights of personal triumphs will be shown every weekday on ESPN SportsCenter Asia news bulletins at 22:00HKT on ESPN with a one-hour, post-Games highlights special to air on October 18, on STAR Sports.

�����Viewers can also follow the events firsthand as ABC brings you an inside look with a series of video diaries that will air on Good Morning America Now each day, for the duration of the Games. Video diaries will also air on Good Morning America and Good Morning America Weekend during the Games and will be available on Good Morning America’s website.

�����To help close this wonderful 11-day demonstration of courage, Mickey and Minnie, along with Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto will join the athletes and child representatives from the region during the Closing Ceremonies with dances and guest appearances. Continuing the festivities, Hong Kong Disneyland is lending its support to Special Olympics Hong Kong athletes with a welcome home celebration. The Hong Kong Special Olympics team will be received with a party held in mid October where they will be joined by their committee members and HKDL senior executives.

�����Special Olympics is an international non-profit organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Visit www.2007specialolympics.com, available in six languages, for information about the Games.

About Disney’s Outreach

�����Disney brightens the lives of children in need around the world through global outreach programs, local community initiatives and the Disney VoluntEARS program. Last year, Disney donated more than $170 million in cash and in-kind support to various charities around the world. Disney VoluntEARS contributed more than 485,000 hours of service and the company drew upon its unique magic to make wishes come true for children and families. The Disney VoluntEARS program provides opportunities for Disney employees to contribute their time and expertise towards making a positive impact in the communities they serve while furthering the traditions and ideals of The Walt Disney Company. For more information on Disney’s outreach efforts, please visit www.DisneyOutreach.com

Contacts

Andrea Rausa
The Walt Disney Company
(818) 567-5941

Tiffany Huang
The Walt Disney Company, China
8621.6132.0296


Alison Lazar
ESPN
(212) 456-0226