June 2020 Greetings from Special Olympics Bharat Virtual ... · June 2020 Greetings from Special Olympics Bharat Virtual Unified Skipping Competition- Supported by SNF A concept of

www.specialolympicsbharat.org

June 2020

Greetings from Special Olympics Bharat

Virtual Unified Skipping Competition- Supported by SNF

A concept of a Youth

leader , Amitasha N

Mishra, activated

through a project

supported by the

Stavros Niarchos

Foundation (SNF), and

driven by Covid 19

resulted in a Virtual

Unified Skipping

Competition . While few of the Athletes missed the excitement of

a common venue and a connect with

new co-Athletes within the same

physical space, the event gave many

of them an opportunity to develop a

new skill. Although the final results were announced on 30 May 2020, the

journey to excel started much earlier.The excitement started with turning a

regular activity into a digital competitive sport.It build through displaying

countless videos of a large number of Athletes submitting their skipping skills

that showed subsequent improvement.

Vasu Tiwari, an Athlete from UP clearly showed progress , starting from not

knowing what to do with the rope to being able to skip with slow movements

over two weeks.Neha kept cheering on her brother Hemant, Athlete from UP

as she joined him in this event as his Unified Partner

Dr Amitav Mishra , General Secretary SO Bharat and the Chairperson of

the SO Bharat- UP Chapter: “As our planned events of March and April could not happen due to lockdown;

the youth leaders through a series of meetings and workshop came out with the concept of virtual Unified

Sports. We provided complete support to the unified leadership to carry out the experiment. It was too good

to experiment the concept on 52 players in the presence of a large number of virtual viewers. The event

not only engaged a large number of athletes in physical exercises, but also it connected with their peers

without disabilities creating a large space in building an inclusive society” Read More News

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Hemant Singh & Neha Singh , the brother sister duo from UP

“We have done sporting activities at leisure but

the Unified skipping competition was fun as it

made us compete with rival teams, together. That

brought in a whole new excitement. But, I have

always celebrated the victories of Hemant, each

and every one of them, no matter how big or small

it is”- Neha Singh, Heamnt’s Sister

“Siblings take the responsibility perfectly.

Especially these days with the Covid 19 crisis

while the parents are occupied with organizing so

much else, the siblings take over completely to

keep their special siblings active, occupied &

happy”, says Ms Sharmistha Basu, Principal,

Asha AWWA School , Lucknow

At the SNF – supported Unified Skipping Competition virtual event held on 30 May 2020, many Unified

pairs competed in a new sport, selected more for its conjunction with social distancing resonating the new

normal. Hemant Singh, 20 years, and his sister Neha Singh 23 years from Lucknow, UP practiced and

participated together, winning a Silver in Group 5 at the event.

At home, he was gaining weight. The idea of skipping was well received by the parents as it required no

extra arrangements. “In these times we have to , as much as possible, get close to the interests of the

parents as we are not there to motivate the Athletes. Here it is only the family that can encourage the

Athlete to do a particular activity.” Skipping fitted very well. Read More

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Different hues of the World Environment Day 2020

Hemant (R) with his sister, Neha (L)


To stoke Social Consciousness along with creating opportunities of engagement between Unified Pairs a

blog writing exercise took off with the one on the World Environment Day being the first. Observing the day

emerged in different hues involving Special Athletes, Coaches and Youth leaders. While the Unified Pair

Aparimita and Gayatri from Mumbai, browsed the net, discussed and produced content overseen and

embellished by the National YAC; initiated by an SO Bharat Chandigarh Coach, a small group of children,

parents and educators dedicated time for ‘Nature’ while conforming to the Covid 19 norms. SO Bharat

Athletes from Pune, Maharashtra belonging to a Residential Special School, Mr Chaitanya Mehtere, Mr

Pakash Kulakarni and Mr Sarang Kendra, planted saplings

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Athlete and Celebrity Interaction

On 26 May 2020, a virtual interaction was facilitated by Mr Satish Pillai, Chairman of SO Bharat witnessing

a thought-provoking exchange between renowned sportspersons of India and the Special Olympics Athlete

leaders. Focused on the Athletes from the Special arena and the mainstream world the highlight of the

evening was the interesting questions thrown by the Athlete leaders to each of the celeb sportspersons

In conjunction with the Special Olympics initiative to facilitate a ‘surprise and delight’ for the Athletes, an

opportunity combining the celebrities and influencers with the Special Athletes through one-on-one chats,

video chats or phone calls.

Five SO Bharat Athletes engaged with four renowned mainstream Athletes from India, namely, Anju Bobby

George (Padma & Arjun awardee), Robert Bobby George (Dhronacharya Awardee), Anand Menezes

(Olympian Sydney 2000) and Pramila Gudanda Aiyappa (Asian Games medalist), who recalled their

experiences and responded to questions directed by the Special Athletes. The evening concluded with

inspirational messages from the Celeb Sportspersons. “ We are all going through a difficult situation now.

But continue to keep yourself safe & fit in any way that you can, at home. Don’t worry about the situation”-

Anju Bobby George. “Human Race is amazing; We will bounce back!” – Robert Bobby George

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Strengthening & widening the Network – SO Bharat Punjab

Samarpratap Singh is a Young Athlete from Punjab, a little over 6 yrs. Within the Autism Spectrum and

being conspicuously restive had caused a number of persons anxiety, to explore a customized way of

calming him down. Team sports did not attract him, the idea of Roller Skating was not received whole-

heartedly by his parents last year. The lockdown period compounded the situation. Ms Rekha Kashyap &


Ms Navjot , the dynamic duo of SO Bharat

(Punjab), continued to extend counselling

along with different options to steer his high

energy levels. Beginning in the end of March

2020, it was either sending videos, or pictorial

depictions , audio guidance etc. A revelation

for the team itself, Rollerskating along with

music showed the way. Samarpratap enjoys it,

in fact showing a certain amount of natural

bent towards it, keeps practising and gets tired

as well. He even sits and listens to music and

with concentration.

“ We have a Roller Skating Champion coming up, I feel strongly” This

became an example of what Rekha Kashyap had to address the viewers

with , in a recently held Webinar of the state. Her session covered activities

and innovations with existing options that can be offered to the Young

Athletes at home. The session was specifically relevant to the family

members who are grappling with the challenging times and are anxiously digging out ways of keeping their

children wth Intellectual Disabilities effectively occupied.

The State Chapter of Punjab held two series of Webinars, the first from 8 - 17 May 2020 and the second

from 3 to 6 June 2020 covering diverse topics addressed by experts from the relevant fields, to an audience

of 60-65 viewers per day on an average. Questions were taken up and responses rolled out-

Swimming, Skating etc may be good options over team sports for persons in the Autism Spectrum!- and

more

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Unified Sports Competition

A list of nine sports disciplines as well as activities like yoga, dance, drawing, fundamental exercises etc

combined over 300 Athletes and partners from 22 States in a Unified Sports Activity in the last week of

May. The final result was announced on 30 May 2020. A team of five members from the within and outside

of SO Bharat meticulously evaluated the video submissions on the basis of Utilization of space, Creativity,

Co-ordination and Performance.

The activity encouraged the Athletes to pursue any sporting activity with their family members as Unified

partners. Dynamic exercises, Aerobics and Yoga predominated the choice of the participants. While the

male participation exceeded that of the female, Punjab took the lead in motivating and registering 49 entries.

Nirvi from Maharashtra took the first place, followed by a tie between Aryan from Chandigarh and Yashika

Bhatt from Delhi. Sonakshi from Maharashtra & Sidharth Kalsi from Delhi secured the third position in a tie.


Having worked hands-on in the activity, Ms Sulekha Rana, Director Sports, SO Bharat, said, “We did not

expect to see such a phenomenal response. The idea was to maintain the fitness of the Athletes, to keep

them sports-ready and have their family members involved. But it generated so much excitement that was

evident with the videos streaming in till the last minute of the closing time”

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The first Webinar Series – by SO Bharat in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India

To address challenges and opportunities for the Special Athletes during the Covid 19 lockdown period Special Olympics Bharat conducted a series of Webinars from 1-6 May 2020 in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India. All six days addressed a different topic presented by experts from specific fields with an average attendance of around 300 viewers from 11 countries including India. The Webinars were successful in spreading awareness and enhancing sensitization across a diverse population. While the experts drew attention to ‘Intellectual Disabilities’, Health Challenges, Unified Sports, Inclusion and resources available for the Special Athletes, few Athlete leaders from different states of India expressed their thoughts on the ongoing crisis, exhibiting confidence that substantiates their successful journey through sports Read More


Ms Radhica Sreeman, Executive Director (TEAMS), Sports Authority of India: “Special Olympics Bharat is doing Yeoman service for the differently – abled children. The painstaking effort taken by them will go a long way in developing the skills of the special children and make them an acceptable part of the society.” Yoga sessions for Special Olympics Athletes was held on 12th & 14th May 2020. The sessions were led by Ms. Namrata Menon, founder of the World of Yoga – Goa. Stressing on the importance of regular Yoga practice for Special athletes, Ms Namrata Menon, Founder of World of Yoga- Goa says “Physical fitness is directly proportional to the extent of harmony between body and mind. Competitive Sports come with a lot of strains and stresses. I believe Yoga can immensely support the Athletes to be mentally equipped to perform to the best of their abilities.”

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Amplifying Inclusion during Covid 19- State of Bihar

All of the 534 blocks spread across 38 districts in Bihar have an isolation centre (to cater to the suspected & the infected people) and a quarantine centre (for travellers) each. A helpline was set up a few weeks back specifically for Persons with Disabilities. 15000 grievances were received and action over them is in the offing. Following the complaints, Dr Shivajee Kumar, Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities

directed the District Administrations to ensure that special arrangements are in place for Persons with Disabilities. Dr Shivajee Kumar has been the Area Director of SO Bharat – Bihar since 2001 and has been holding the office of the State Disability Commissioner since April 2018. The helpline facilitates a recorded message from the aggrieved that reaches a central number which tracks the location to extend necessary support. The State along with supporting groups and organizations have provided Hearing aid, wheelchair, pension etc as required. The State Govt has announced relief measures for PwDs as well. These measures to an extent, have offset the distressing challenges thrown by the continuing global crisis. Read More

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‘How To’ Webinars – an initiative of the Special Olympics Asia Pacific (SOAP)

65 participants from India put their creativity

together in an exciting virtual session of

bookmark- making with co- participants from the

Asia Pacific Region on Sunday, 17 May 2020.

This was the first of a series of “How to” Webinars

organised by the Regional Youth Input Council, in

collaboration with the Regional Athlete Input

Council. Through a series of hands-on activities,

these skills-based webinars aim to build a

community of youth leaders and strengthening the

mental wellbeing during this COVID-19

pandemic. The bookmark-making session was led

by Jasmine Sharif, Global and Regional Athlete Input Council member from SO Pakistan.

Coming up is a session on Origami Crane, led by Ms Hanako Sawayama.

Running parallel to the ‘How to ‘Webinars are the

SOAP Regional Webinars covering topics across

Sports, Health, Youth leadership and more. Dacki

Sandiego, from Philippines, Grace Payne from

New Zealand, Simran Sahni from India and

Satyananda Kusuma from Indonesia showed their

wonderful presentations at the third Webinar that

was held on 28 May 2020 on Athlete and Youth

leadership. Shrey Kadian, Athlete leader of SO

Bharat is a member of the SOAP Athlete Input

Council while Simran Sahni , SO Bharat Youth

leader is the Co- Chair of the SOAP Youth Input

Council.

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SO Bharat Young Athletes Facebook page and You tube

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June 2020 Greetings from Special Olympics Bharat Virtual ... · June 2020 Greetings from Special Olympics Bharat Virtual Unified Skipping Competition- Supported by SNF A concept of