22 September 2021 New Delhi: 17 Athletes from five states of India are participating in the Figure and Speed Skating Camp underway at iskate, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, Haryana, in preparation of the Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in Kazan, Russia in 2023. The National Coaching Camp supported by the Sports Authority of India, and in partnership with iskate, has been going on since 12 September and will continue until 23 September, witnessing the participation of 30 Athletes, Coaches, escorts and officials.
Amongst the Athletes, Tanshu and Rachna, Speed Skaters from Haryana, sharpen their focus on physical fitness and technique and leverage the facilities which are not available outside the Camp. Both the Athletes participated in the Sweden Invitational Games held in January 2020 winning 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals.
Deepanshu Nath, a figure skating Athlete from Delhi and the son of a carpenter is passionate about skating and dreams of having a speed skating facility near his home someday to encourage and train many more athletes to take to the sport.
Complying with the Covid-19 norms and the corresponding SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) laid out by the Sports Authority of India/ Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Camp ensured that the required medical support is constantly on standby. Daily health parameters are monitored, like, the weight, Blood Pressure, Temperature and more. A separate committee has been formed to monitor compliance. Social distancing and hygiene protocols are being implemented consistently.
In the words of Mr Harpreet Singh, Director Sports, SO Bharat and also in-charge of preparing the contingent for the World Winter Games, тАЬAlthough the recent announcement of the postponement of the Special Olympics World Winter Games from January 2022 to January 2023 spread an amount of gloom, it failed to dampen the zeal of the Athletes. They are back in their practise mode and take this as an opportunity to fortify their preparedness for the global eventтАЭ
