Hong Kong’s star Paralympian and 12-time medalist So Wa Wai has made a move that demonstrates how people with disabilities can make a positive impact in both the world of sports and work. Through the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (HKPC&SAPD) Athlete Career Programme, run in cooperation with Adecco, he has taken up a three-month internship at Adecco Hong Kong’s headquarters to increase his professional experience and bring his unique skills to the programme. His initial assignment is to co-organise and promote the company’s Win4Youth events in Hong Kong. The Win4Youth programme gives employees, associates and clients the opportunity to take part in sporting events that raise funds to help youngsters get a better start in work and life.
An amazing track record and many endeavors ahead
32-year old So Wa Wai is a famous local sprinter, who suffers from cerebral palsy. He has competed in five consecutive Paralympic Games and won twelve Paralympic medals. So is also the current world-record holder in the Men's 200m T36 sprints.
Striving to be amongst the best athletes in the world, So Wa Wai has overcome many challenges. Athletes not only want to be the best they can be in sports but in everything they do.
During the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, So acted as the flag bearer and led the Hong Kong team into the Bird's Nest Stadium during the opening ceremony. He also won his sixth Paralympic Gold medal in Beijing with a new world record time. These are amazing achievements in his athletic career and require a lot of commitment and dedication.
However, the glory achieved did not come easily, as So had to engage in full-time employment to support his family in 2005, putting his plans to participate in the Games at risk due to the challenge of combining work and elite sports. Only with the support of Andy Lau, a Hong Kong entertainer and singer, who gave him a full-time job with the flexibility to continue his training, was he able to continue his athletic career.
In 2011, in order to prepare for a successful career transition, So joined the HKPC&SAPD as a Programme Assistant under its ‘Athletes Apprentice Programme’. With the professional training provided by Adecco, he is getting ready to face the challenge of the next stage of his career, something which illustrates the importance of learning the necessary skills and gaining sufficient experience to sustain a living beyond sports. The objective of the HKPC&SACP is to support him with on-the-job training to enable his career path development. As a result of this, So sees great value in the Athlete Career Programme and its primary goal of helping elite athletes prepare for life after and during sport.
The Hong Kong Paralympic Athlete Career Programme at his side
The global Athlete Career Programmes of the IOC and IPC in cooperation with Adecco, , were launched in 2005 and 2007 respectively. Since then over 11,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from over 100 countries have participated in both programmes globally. They provide participants with educational opportunities as well as more general life skills, and allow access to career development and job placement expertise to help elite athletes successfully transition into the workforce.
Patrick Glennon, Adecco Global Senior Vice President for the ACP, reinforces the value of the programmes and explains: “While elite athletes may reach the finish line in their sporting careers, the IOC and IPC Athlete Career Programmes ensure that they will have customised support to better face the challenges they will encounter as they transition into the workplace”
The next goals to achieve
So started his internship with the companyin the middle of August to gain further experience in the labour market. He is off to a fast start, focused upon planning a big Win4Youth event that will take place in November at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park: “My success on the track has been all about setting goals, planning and preparing for success with the help of a great team. And this is my approach now at work. Of course, I’m learning new technical and business skills needed in a corporate environment. However I’m finding that my skills as an elite athlete such as effective communication, know-how about the world of sports as well as my discipline and determination will be beneficial in my new role of winning the hearts and minds of colleagues, associates and clients, and encouraging them to clock-up kilometres, network and raise funds. At the Ocean Park event, we want hundreds of people to run or walk for Win4Youth, adding to the Adecco Group donation to four youth foundations in Columbia, Thailand, Italy and Belgium.”
One of Us
So Wa Wai will be working with Adecco Hong Kong on various projects, for the next three months. One of his main tasks will be the support of the Win4Youth client event in November.
Globally, the target for Win4Youth 2013 is to run 500,000 km and now in its fourth year, ,aims to support selected youth foundations worldwide. Adecco Hong Kong’s Audrey Low, country manager and a strong advocate for the Athlete Career Programme and Win4Youth, is delighted to have So on board:
“So is an asset to our team, organisation and both these programmes – not only as an elite athlete but as a great ambassador and colleague who has shown how to go beyond limits. His positivity and energy are inspiring everybody. I’m sure he will make the Win4Youth event in Ocean Park a great success but beyond this, he is helping change mind-sets as to the value of integrating athletes and people with different abilities into the workplace.”
Supporting elite athletes – a continuous legacy
Adecco Hong Kong has been running the Athlete Career Programme in cooperation with the Hong Kong Paralympic Committee and Sports Association for the Disabled (HKPC& SAPD) since May 2011. In October, the agreement will be renewed during a signing ceremony where So together with other athletes will participate. Mr. Martin Lam, General Secretary of HKPC&SAPD said: "Paralympic athletes have unique experiences and many desirable skills to offer. However, many have a background that does not fit readily into a commonly recognised career and work structure. This Programme definitely provides opportunities for local Paralympic athletes to equip themselves and accommodate their needs at every stage of their second career. We thank Adecco for this opportunity and are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration in the best interest of the athletes. So’s assignment at the company is an opportunity to propel the Programme’s success to another level.” According to Mei Fung, Marketing & Communications Manager with Adecco: “Several HK Paralympic athletes have already benefited from the career development support such as CV and interview technique training but we need more companies to come forward and offer job placement opportunities. So epitomizes the inspirational abilities that those from the sporting world can bring into the mainstream workplace. They want to win at whatever they do and every company wants those kinds of people in their teams. So shows the ‘Wai’ to work!”
Further information:
The IOC & IPC Athlete Career Programmes
To learn more about the IOC Athlete Career Programme, run in conjunction with the Adecco Group see: http://athlete.adecco.com/Pages/Home.aspx
IOC: http://www.olympic.org/athletes-space
IPC: http://www.paralympic.org/Athletes/CareerProgramme
Win4Youth
To learn more about Adecco’s Win4Youth go to http://www.adecco.com/csr/win4youth.aspx
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Getting involved:
To get in touch with Adecco Hong Kong about offering job placement opportunities for athletes, please contact:
Mei Fung
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Adecco Personnel Limited
Tel: +852 2830 0167
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
