" Obama commemorates Special Olympics anniversary at star-studded White House event Obama commemorates Special Olympics anniversary at star-studded White House event Obama commemorates Special Olympics anniversary at star-studded White House event Obama commemorates Special Olympics anniversary at star-studded White House event
Katy Perry Isaiah Wynn Color Rush Jersey , Jason Derulo and Stevie Wonder were all there - but the only guest who got to give President Barack Obama a hug during his speech was restaurant owner Tim Harris.


Harris has Down syndrome, but he owns his own restaurant and is a Special Olympics star in year-round sports.


And the focus was more on the star athletes than on the pop stars at a White House event on Thursday to commemorate the anniversary of the Special Olympics organization.


""Presidents need encouragement once in a while too...Thank you, Tim Patriots Jordan Matthews Jersey ,"" Obama said after Harris left his seat during the president's remarks to give him a hug, Harris' trademark at his restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico.


Established in 1968 Patriots Jeremy Hill Jersey , the Special Olympics give people with intellectual disabilities opportunities to participate in sports ranging from basketball and bowling to figure skating and gymnastics.


Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will serve as honorary chairs of the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles next year. Some 7,000 athletes from 170 countries will take part.


At Thursday's dinner, entertainment celebrities mingled with business magnates under chandeliers before digging into a menu of ""Maryland crab and corn ravioli"" and ""caramelized plum galette"". Dignitaries from the sports world included former basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Patriots Cyrus Jones Jersey , former tennis player Andy Roddick and former figure skater Michelle Kwan.


Obama praised the other set of athletes in the room, including Loretta Claiborne, the first Special Olympian to speak to the United Nations General Assembly and Dustin Plunkett Patriots Jordan Richards Jersey , Special Olympics ""international global messenger"" who wrote that the organization had ""saved his life.""


""What all these people represent is what the Special Olympics is all about - overcoming obstacles with love and kindness, and generosity, and healthy competition Patriots Malcom Brown Jersey ,"" he said. ""It's about pride and it's about teamwork and it's about friendship. And it's about treating everybody with dignity, and giving everybody a chance.""


Seven athletes told their stories after the dinner before Katy Perry started her concert with her hit ""Roar.""


""We are here to put an end to the injustice and captivity and intolerance,"" said Ricardo Thornton Patriots Joe Thuney Jersey , recently appointed by Obama to the president's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Thornton said he had spent time in two institutions but Special Olympics changed his life.


And Claiborne said because of Special Olympics, she converses in four languages, holds two honorary doctorate degrees and has run 26 marathons.


""The days of being left out are over Patriots Deatrich Wise Jr. Jersey ,"" she said.


(Agencies)

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TORONTO， May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Toronto Raptors overwhelmed the Miami Heat 116-89 in the seventh and final game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Sunday afternoon and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.


In front of a sold-out Air Canada Centre crowd， Toronto dominated on both ends of the floor. The 116 points scored and 27-point margin of victory are both franchise records for a post-season game.


"The effort， the intensity and the focus was what we wanted on both ends of the floor，" said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey in Toronto following the game. "I thought we started off shaky defensively， but I thought as the game went on we got locked in， did a much better job of guarding the basketball."


After allowing Miami to score 78 points on 49.2% shooting in the first three quarters， Toronto's defence limited Miami to 11 points and 23.1% shooting in the final frame.


On the offensive end， All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined to score 63 points， the most they have combined for in a postseason game this year.


"We never doubted Kyle and DeMar. They're our guys. They're all All-Stars and I thought they played like it tonight，" Casey added.


DeRozan had 28 points while Lowry logged a game-high 42 minutes and also had game-highs in points (35)， free throws made (8)， assists (9)， and steals (4).


"Kyle led us. If he didn't get into foul trouble the other night he was going to play 40-plus minutes. Tonight he did，" said Casey.


With the win， Raptors improve to 8-7 all-time when facing elimination. Toronto will now face Cleveland Cavaliers in their first ever berth in the Conference Finals.


"To the franchise， I think it's another step，" said Casey.


In five seasons as head coach of Raptors， Casey has improved the team's regular season win total each season. The team has gone from a 23-43 lottery-bound team to a 56-26 three-time Atlantic division champions.


"You can just see the growth of the players， the confidence in they have in what we've been doing and the buy-in over the last four years has been good to see. We're not a finished product yet."


The Eastern Conference Finals begins in Cleveland for games one on Tuesday evening.

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