Yao is in Athens for some of the Special Olympics (he’s a Global Ambassador for the Games), which just started this past weekend. Raymond has posted some great pics in the forum.

Former Rockets’ teammate Dikembe Mutombo is in Athens, too, since he’s a Global Ambassador for the Games. Both Yao and Deke played a little friendly game of one-on-one on Saturday.

Click here for more photos of Yao and Deke together.

Later, Yao participated in the Opening Ceremony of the Games.

Click here for some impressive photos from the Opening Ceremony.

The next day (Sunday), Yao went to go cheer on the Chinese Special Olympics basketball team.

For more photos of Yao’s activities on Sunday, click here.

Yao had some fun in Beijing earlier in the week when he was filmed for a promotional spot for China National Fitness Day (to be held August 8th), which also marks the third anniversary of the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Raymond reports in the forum that Yao lost badly to the boy because Yao is just too tall for the sport, as you can see in the photos below!

For more photos from the table tennis match, click here.

Also earlier in the week, Yao was invited as a special observer to Shanghai Oriental TV’s semifinal of China’s Got Talent show (a licensed spin-off of Britain’s Got Talent) in the People’s Great Hall in Beijing on Sunday and Monday (June 19/20).

Click here for more photos and details of Yao at the show.

On Sunday, June 19th in Beijing, Yao Ming and actress Zhang Ziyi (both Global Ambassadors for Special Olympics China) attended a send-off ceremony for the delegation that will soon be leaving for Athens for the 2011 Special Olympics Games. Pictured below are both of them answering questions from the press.

For more photos from the send-off ceremony, click here.

Yao Ming and Zhang Ziyi will also go to Athens for the opening ceremony of the Games. Yao told reporters he is excited, and is looking forward to seeing his old pal Dikembe Mutombo, who is also a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics.

After the ceremony at the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities, Yao Ming went to greet the basketball team, and track and field team.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ziyi went to greet the gymnastics team.

For more photos of Yao Ming and Zhang Ziyi meeting the teams, click here.

Raymond reports in the forum that Yao has been keeping busy the past couple of days in China. You have to give Yao credit for not just sitting around — that’s just not in his DNA

On Thursday, June 9th (China time), Yao flew to Jiuquan City of Gansu from Shanghai via Xian. After 10 hours of travel, he went straight to the Jiuquan Municipal Sports Academy without any rest.

For more photos from Yao’s visit to the sports academy, click here.

Waiting at the sports academy were approximately 20 students with intellectual disabilities who attend the Jiuquan Nash – Yao Foundation Special Education School that Yao’s Foundation funded and built. Since Yao is a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics, he conducted a basketball clinic for the students there.

One of the students of the school, Chen Xiaorong, will be representing China in the upcoming 13th Special Olympics to be held in Athens in June. Yao specifically picked her out, gave her a pair of running shoes, and encouraged Chen to believe in herself and give her best performance in Athens.

On Friday, June 10th, Yao presided over the inauguration ceremony at the school, which had been open a few months already, but Yao was there to commemorate its opening.

For more photos of Yao at the school, click here.

This is the first special education school in the city of Jiuquan for physically and intellectually disabled children. It cost 7 million RMB to build, co-funded by the Shanghai Special Care Foundation, the Yao Ming Foundation, Youth Development Foundation of Gansu Province, and People’s Government of the Suzhou District of Jiuquan City. The Shanghai Special Care Foundation (of which Yao Ming is one of the founders) and Yao Ming Foundation contributed 2.5 million RMB for the undertaking.

After the ceremony, Yao toured the facilities with municipal leaders from Jiuquan City.

Yao said he wished the completion of the special education school will provide the handicapped children the facilities they need to improve intellectually and physically, and urged that more attention be placed on special education requirements in society. Yao thanked his team, as well as Steve Nash, for their contribution and help in the undertaking.