Nothing can stop them: Over 350 children participate in JCI Vizag's Special Olympics

Visakhapatnam: The 18th edition of Special Olympics conducted by Junior Chamber International Visakhapatnam (JCI Vizag) saw the participation of more than 350 children from 14 special schools across Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam. The sports meet was declared open by the DRM of Waltair division Anup Kumar Satpathy who was the chief guest. The president of GITAM University, M. Sribharat, was the distinguished guest on the occasion.

JC Jeevan Jyothi Volla (ZVP-Region B) was the guest of honour and MD of Ora Motors Krishnakanth was the special invitee for the inauguration of the sports meet organised at Diamond Jubilee Port Stadium in Visakhapatnam on 21 August. More than 60 categories of sports events were organised for children in the age groups of 8-12, 12-20, and above 20 years. Children with visual and hearing impairments and physically and mentally handicapped students participated with great zeal and enthusiasm.

The sports categories included 50m and 100m running, shot put, javelin throw, wheelchair race, disc throw, and softball among others.

GVMC commissioner Dr. G. Lakshmisha was the chief guest for the valedictory function of the Special Olympics which witnessed amazing cultural performances by the special children. Capt. Siddharth Shukla, the vice-president of Seaways group was the guest of honour on the occasion. The special invitees were specially-abled people from Vizag. Sai Padma, a polio survivor and founder-president of Global AID, B. Pragnanand, food innovator and social entrepreneur, Dilip Patro, founder of The Ability People, and Kavya Purnima, a young woman with late visual impairment, were present on the occasion.

"It was a special day to have witnessed an event of this scale. The grit and expertise these participants demonstrated and the fairness and right values with which competed was commendable," said Shukla and congratulated the JCI team, students, parents, teachers, coaches and volunteers. Stating that all children are special but some children are more special, the founder of Special Olympics, Prakash Kochar, said, "The rolling shield in the name of my younger brother Prem Kochar who lost his life in an accident was awarded to Association Saikorian campus challenge, Vizianagaram."

He further added, "Time and again, we have seen both men and women from India making a mark in the field of sports across the globe. We have also seen parasports gaining a lot of importance in India and the world. The need of the hour is to encourage interested children irrespective of their disabilities to take up sports and extend support and encourage them."

A group of amateur radio operators (Dolphin Amateur Radio Repeater Club) had set up radio communication in case of an emergency. A band from Kendriya Vidyalaya Waltair performed and a few scouts from KV volunteered for the event. President of JCI Vizag Jc S. Venkatesh, Jc Prabhakar, Jc Ravikanth and other JC members and former presidents were also part of the noble initiative.