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Special Olympics Bharat organized a grand send-off ceremony on April 15 for the Indian men’s and women’s teams that will be traveling to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for Special Olympics South Asia 7-a-side Unified Football Tournament 2024. Special Olympics Bharat is a National Sports Federation that organizes Olympic-type sports for people with intellectual disabilities in India.
The campaign is scheduled to be held in Dhaka from April 16 to 20, 2024. Dr. Taranjeet, and Dean of MRIIRS, Dr. NC Wadhwa, IAS (Retd.). Mr. Virender Kumar Mahendru, Executive Director, Special Olympics Bharat, marked their presence at the send-off ceremony.
Notably, two exhibition matches featuring both men's and women's teams were also held to showcase the talent of Indian athletes. India will be represented by two teams in the upcoming campaign - one comprising boys and the other girls.
Each team consists of 11 athletes and unified partners, accompanied by five coaches, representing eight states - Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Delhi.
The event will see the participation of nine unified football teams, representing five countries - Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives, and Hong Kong. The matches will take place at Bashundhara Kings Sports Arena Stadium, Bashundhara, Dhaka.
The final preparation camp for the Special Olympics Bharat teams was conducted from April 10 to 16 at Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, Haryana.
“I have no doubt that our teams will place their best foot forward” - Special Olympics Bharat Chairperson Dr Mallika Nadda
Offering words of motivation to the Indian contingent, Special Olympics Bharat Chairperson Dr. Mallika Nadda sounded confident of the Indian contingent’s strong performance in the competition.
“The 7-a-side Unified Football tournament in Dhaka is another opportunity to draw attention to the outstanding power of Unified Sports in combining people from different backgrounds and abilities, on and off the sports field,” Dr. Mallika stated during the press conference.
“In view of the practises and a rigorous schedule followed by the Trainers, Coaches and the teammates, I have no doubt that our teams will place their best foot forward. Manav Rachna University, Faridabad has hosted several of our national level camps including this one which has been very crucial in completing the preparation suitably,” she added.
“Events such as this also journeys us through some overwhelming partnerships that help us strengthen our initiatives on promoting inclusion through sports. The energy and bonding that has emerged within the team is striking and I wish luck to all the participating teams, to once again show their thriving abilities to the world,” she concluded.
Renowned for its history of hosting numerous camps, Manav Rachna University provides athletes and coaches with a comprehensive training experience. Alongside football practice sessions, the camp featured sessions on nutrition, physiotherapy, psychology, and meditation.
