Special athletes toiling hard

At the camp,which draws to a close at 3.00 pm on September 9,the special athletes are toiling hard to improve their performances in events like 25m race,50m race,100m race,softball throw and shot put. The camp has been organised by Special Olympics Bharat,UP. The Sports Authority of India is supporting the initiative.

Archana Joshi of Uttarakhand who is a probable for the Athens event says with a broad smile,“If I get a chance to play for India,I will do my country proud.” Azad Bhatt,another probable for the prestigious event is also all smiles at the sheer mention of Athens. Both Archana and Azad have shown their talent in the 100m and the 200m races.

Another promising athlete Rashita Pant who fetched two medals for India in the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2007 held at China is also attending the camp to polish her skills further under the able guidance of national trainers. Shashi Rana who accompanied Rashita to China as a coach informed that the latter won a gold in the softball throw event and a silver in the 50m race there.

Be it Komal Dhawan and Kamal Bhandari from Uttarakhand or Naveen and Kamini from Rajasthan,they all exhibit exemplary sporting spirit. After giving their performances they can be seen talking to fellow competitors for long.

The campers belong to various age groups. A couple of young campers have come here with their parents. Krishna Sharma,mother of 11-year-old Pragati of Kanpur,says that sports camps help a lot in tapping your child’s talent. “My daughter has Down syndrome. It was only recently during a four-day swimming camp at Bhopal I realised that she can learn swimming quite easily in the presence of good coaches. My husband expired two years ago. She is my only child and my life revolves round her. She is a very affable child and I am proud to be her mother. I keep doing odd jobs to fulfill her wishes. I want to give her everything she wants.”

MM Khurram,who is one of the national trainers in the camp,informed,“The athlete is our top priority in any camp. We have to ensure that during participating in different events,they do not get hurt. Plus we also help them in their daily activities like brushing their teeth or washing their faces—things which are otherwise supervised by their parents when they are at home. We also provide guidance to the coaches. The special children are very sensitive and often understand facial expressions quickly,so the coaches have to guide them with affection and in fact practise themselves along with their trainees to motivate them.”

If despite frequent rains during the past couple of days,the running track is dry for practice,the Army personnel need to be given credit for that. They are giving a great deal of assistance to the organisers to make the camp a happy experience for the athletes. President Special Olympic,Bharat (UP Chapter) Air Marshal Ashok Goel (retd.) informed,“About 200 Army personnel are helping us. The Army has provided the stadium absolutely free of cost for training. Whenever the track gets wet,the Army personnel work with dedication to provide the lay out to the track. All the elaborate tent arrangements have been done by the Army free of cost. The Army Band has also been boosting the morale of the campers.”

“Many of the campers are good in presenting cultural items. A cultural programme will be organised by the campers in the evening. The programme Is a tribute to Eunice Shriver Kennedy,the founder of Special Olympics,” he further added.

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