20 May, 2021 New Delhi: Special Olympics Bharat inaugurated a first ever virtual Cricket Competition that would see participation of 19 teams consisting of 150 Special Athletes from 19 States of India, with each team pitching 5-8 players. The month-long competition is being funded by ESPN and aims to help these budding cricketers hone their skills and compete despite the limitations of the ongoing pandemic.
Through regular webinars, the participants will be scored in four specific skills – wall-toss catch, hitting target (bowling), tapping the ball and running between the wickets. The four highest scoring teams will secure the first four positions.
At the inaugural session, 170 viewers tuned in to watch a live demonstration of the skills by a team of 6 from Chandigarh.
The athletes with an overwhelming support of their family members executed all the four tasks in a set up that helped everyone peek into their terraces, lawns, by-lanes and residential complexes, literally turning the sport into a household phenomenon. Although buckets replaced wickets, the tasks were executed through specific measurements of distance and time. The athletes, on their part, took every bit of the sport in all seriousness despite the cosy set-ups, determined to win.
Speaking on the occasion Dr (Mrs) Mallika Nadda, Chairperson SO Bharat said, “The session shows an extraordinary passion for sports that shows no signs of diminishing despite the ongoing pandemic. While I strongly encourage everyone to follow the Covid-19 protocols, I am overwhelmed to see how everyone and specifically, the family members are coming forward to support the Athletes to carry forward their sporting dreams and to keep them sports-ready at all times. I express my gratitude to ESPN, to the Special Olympics Asia Pacific and to the Sports Department at SO Bharat who have substantiated their perseverance to continue planning sports to keep the Special Athletes mentally and physically fit”.
The inaugural webinar drew the presence of senior representation from Special Olympics Bharat and Special Olympics Asia Pacific (SOAP) including Mr Dipak Natali, the President and Managing Director SOAP, Dr (Mrs) Mallika Nadda, Chairperson SO Bharat and Ms Ronak Lakhani, SOI Board Member from SO Pakistan. Through the support of Mr Coen Van Putten, Manager Sports, SOAP, the Sports department of SO Bharat with Mr Victor R Vaz, National Sports Director, in the lead conceptualised the event and modified the rules to accommodate the version while preserving the excitement and energy of the sport. A panel of referees included Mr Sandeep Singh, Dr Ram Mohan and Mr Jignesh Thakkar, stakeholders within SO Bharat from the states of Bihar, Puducherry and Gujarat respectively.
Funded by ESPN, the event replaced the in-person competition that was originally slated to be held in Mysore in early 2020 but was deferred due to the pandemic. SOI and ESPN entered a partnership in 2013 that continues to strengthen Sports to promote Inclusion, in India along with other National Special Olympics programs around the world.
