From Macedonia to Beijing -- in a wheelchair

05/11/2007

An activist intends to arrive in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, after a year-long humanitarian trip in a wheelchair from Macedonia.

By Zoran Nikolovski for Southeast European Times in Skopje- 05/11/07

Mile Stojkovski began his journey at a ceremony in August at the Monument of Mother Teresa in Skopje's Central Square. [Tomislav Georgiev]

Macedonia's Mile Stojkovski is the first man to attempt to travel 15,000km through 31 countries in a wheelchair. His goal is to arrive in Beijing by August 8th, 2008, for the Summer Olympics. So far, Stojkovski has reached Syria and is on his way to Jordan, in good health and enthusiastic about reaching his goal.

Stojkovski's humanitarian voyage began with a send-off at the Monument of Mother Teresa in Skopje's Central Square on August 3rd. At the event, he was greeted by supporters, including the first prime minister of Macedonia, Nikola Kljusev.

Stojkovski's mission is to raise public awareness, attract sponsors and raise funds to help those with special needs in Macedonia. In his own words, Stojkovski's primary goal is to gain nationwide recognition of physically challenged individuals and help them better integrate into society.

In collaboration with Venera, a humanitarian organisation in Prilep, Stojkovski will try to establish an assistance fund for the disabled. The fund would be used to initiate construction of facilities that meet the needs of the disabled, which could in turn become a tool for social reintegration.

"I want to send a message of peace to people," says Stojkovski, who intends to plant a tree to signify peace every 100km. With a 15-member team, he will travel through war-torn regions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A TV crew is filming the journey to make a documentary. A medical team monitors his health along the way.

According to the rules imposed by the team, vehicles on the road surrounding him must keep a distance of 500m. While Stojkovski will rest in hotels, the team will stay in a trailer convoy, which will be followed by police vehicles in every country.

The 2007-2008 tour to Beijing is not Stojkovski's first Olympic challenge. In 2004, also in a wheelchair, he travelled from Prilep to Athens for the Summer Games.

After Athens, Stojkovski met with President Branko Crvenkovski and announced his intention to travel to Beijing.

Stojkovski's expedition is being supported by the Macedonian Olympic Committee, Macedonian Red Cross, Macedonian Lawyers’ Chamber and some companies.