Few of the State para-athletes among the 14 participants who bagged medals in the recent Special Olympics Bharat (SOB) National Championship are likely to be selected for 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games scheduled to be held in los Angeles in July next year. However, the names of these players will be decided depending on the four national camps performances to be held before the international tourney.
“The last national meet was organised as an ‘ability test’ for players so that that we could atleast track the ‘good ones’ in the long list. As many as 1,000 specially abled children across the nation had participated in this championship. All these children are disciplined and listen to our advices religiously. The events involved 25 to 200 metres race, soft ball throw, standing jump and 4x100 metres relay race. Atleast three or four para-athletes of Jharkhand have maximum chances of representating India at this los Angles games,” SOB Jharkhand National Coach Satpal Saini said.
Highlighting the preparations for this international meet, SOB Jharkhand Assistant Area Director Satbir Singh Sahota said that the list of 300 para-athletes expected for selection in the first national camp will be notified by the mid of April month. “Nearly 34 specially abled children of Jharkhand had earlier represented ‘Indian team’ in international tournaments including football and athletics. Among 300 players, 200 will be selected for the second camp followed by 100 in the third. The fourth cum final camp’s player strength will then be decided according to the capabilities of these innocent as well as disciplined athletes. Four of our players have possibilities of being selected in the final list,” Singh maintained.
He added, “The players will be imparted advanced training in all the four national camps also known as ‘preparatory camps’.” Notably, the 2015 games will be the 14th Special Olympics World Games. These games will mark the first World Summer Games in the United States in 16 years.
The names of the children who grabbed medals in the last SOB National Championship comprise Khusboo Kumari, Rekha lakra, Vishal Kumar and Sushil Kumar from Jharkhand Education Project of Ranchi cadre along with Dinesh Kumar and Ravindra Kumar of Deepshikha Institute for Child Development Mental Health accompanied by children of Srijan Help, Prakash Kunj and Jamshedpur’s School of Hope.
Events such as aquatics, gymnastics, track and field, basketball, football (soccer) and many other summer sports are to be conducted at 2015’s global olympics meet, mentions the website of Special Olympics los Angels 2015.