A grand send-off ceremony for their Indian contingent (Boys and Girls) that will be travelling to Dhaka for the Special Olympics South Asia 7-a-side Unified Football Tournament 2024 was accorded by Special Olympics Bharat (SOB) on Monday.

Slated to be held from 16th-20th April 2024, at Bashundhara Kings Sports Arena Stadium, Bashundhara, Dhaka, the same will witness participation from nine unified football teams from five countries - India, Indonesia, Maldives, Hong Kong and host Bangladesh.

The Indian Boys and Girls team consists of 11 athletes and unified partners in each, along with five coaches, representing eight states (Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi).

The ceremony was graced by Guest of Honour Dr. Taranjeet, and Dean of MRIIRS, Dr.NC Wadhwa, IAS (Retd.). Mr. Virender Kumar Mahendru, Executive Director, Special Olympics Bharat also addressed the audience. Much to the delight of the audience in attendance, two exhibition matches of both men's and women's teams were also organised to give a glimpse of the talent of Indian athletes. Manav Rachna students also participated in the matches.

The final preparation for the camp of the SO teams earlier took place between 10th April to 16th April at Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, Haryana. Renowned for hosting numerous camps in the past, Manav Rachna University offers a holistic training experience to the athletes and coaches. In addition to football practice sessions, the camp had sessions on nutrition, physiotherapy, psychology, and meditation, extending a multi-dimensional experience to the athletes and coaches ahead of their departure to Dhaka.

A productive session on psychology was also conducted which aimed at relieving body stress and fostering a connection with the mind. Led by Dr. Garima Kumar and. Anoma Modak, faculties in the Department of Applied Psychology, the same was conducted with active support from its students Ayush and Anshika and the interactive session encouraged expressive and free body movements, concluding with some relaxation exercises.

Offering words of motivation to the Indian contingent, Special Olympics Bharat Chairperson Dr Mallika Nadda said, “The 7-a-side Unified Football tournament in Dhaka is another opportunity to draw attention to the outstanding power of Unified Sports in combining people from different backgrounds and abilities, on and off the sports field. In view of the practices and a rigorous schedule followed by the Trainers, Coaches and the teammates, I have no doubt that our teams will place their best foot forward. Manav Rachna University, Faridabad has hosted several of our national level camps including this one which has been very crucial in completing the preparation suitably. Events such as this also journeys us through some overwhelming partnerships that help us strengthen our initiatives on promoting inclusion through sports. The energy and bonding that has emerged within the team is striking and I wish luck to all the participating teams, to once again show their thriving abilities to the world."

Photo Above: The Indian contingent Boys and Girls teams pose with the dignitaries on the eve of the Special Olympics South Asia 7-a-side Unified Football Tournament 2024 to be hosted in Dhaka, Bangladesh starting Tuesday