HYDERABAD: It’s rare and inspiring to witness children with special needs shine in sports, proving that every child has unique abilities and the potential to achieve greatness. Recently, FitFormula hosted an inter-school championship exclusively for kids with special needs, providing them a platform to participate in various sports.
The event was organised by Vinod Paswan, Founder of FitFormula, and co-founder Shelim Ahmed, who dedicated their efforts to showcasing the exceptional talents of these children. Vinod Paswan gave insights into the initiative and its impact.
Discussing the event’s organisation, Vinod explained, “We reached out to special schools across Hyderabad to invite children with autism and other needs to participate.
Around 15 schools joined the competition, with 155 children from different parts of the city taking part. The groundwork began a month prior, with visits to 30 schools to ensure maximum outreach.”
The event featured a range of activities designed to engage participants across four age groups: under eight, under twelve, under sixteen, and above sixteen. “We included events like a 30m running race, target hitting, ball collecting, ball catching and running, obstacle runs, yoga poses, and cycling,” Vinod detailed.
The initiative aimed to challenge misconceptions about the capabilities of children with special needs. “The overall championship was shared by three schools. My goal was to show that these kids, despite their challenges, can excel in sports and activities,” Vinod emphasised.
Reflecting on the journey, Vinod shared how his work with special needs children inspired this initiative.
“We provide personal training to special kids at our centre and have seen remarkable progress. Kids who couldn’t jump learned to jump, and they grasped everything I taught. This motivated me to create a city-wide event where they could showcase their talent.”
Vinod concluded with a promise, “This was our first event, and we’re committed to hosting more such competitions to give these children opportunities to shine.”
