HYDERABAD: The likes of PV Sindhu and Kullaima spelt in the same context would not make much sense. However, much to our amusement, the duo are medalists in the same game, badminton. The only difference is that while Sindhu brought a silver in the Olympics, Kullaima had bagged three medals at Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles last year.
Why is it that an entire nation rose up to a rousing reception when Sindhu returned with a medal but the name of Kullaima did not ring a single bell even in her home state of Andhra Pradesh? This, and several other questions were raised and discussed at the Symposium on Disability and Sports organised by US Consulate General Hyderabad in partnership with Special Olympics Bharat at the Kasturba Gandhi Degree and Post Graduate College in the city on Friday.
Public Affairs Officer of the US Consulate General, Hyderabad Gabriel Hons-Olivier discussed the role of US in the development of Special Olympics. He mapped the journey of Special Olympics through its nascent stage. Explaining how a camp founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1962 evolved into Special Olympics, Gabriel outlined her contributions in the field.
However, it was the introduction of the intellectually disabled athletes that highlighted the event. The auditorium went up in a thunderous applause as area director of Special Olympics Bharat C Rajasekhar called out their names. “Since participating in the Special Olympics World Games in 1987, India has bagged 1,062 medals. But how many of us know the name of even a single athlete with intellectual disability?” said Rajasekhar. When asked about the support provided by the government to coach a person with special needs, Rajasekhar said there is a tremendous lack of awareness.
“While the Centre provides us funds for training, it’s the state government's support we are looking for. A great support has come from the GHMC though, who has been providing us stadia free of charge for training these athletes,” Rajasekhar, who also is an Asia Pacific Regional Trainer, said. The event also highlighted the support by the Kasturba Gandhi college.
The symposium ended on the hope that sports would bring in more inclusion and tolerance.