8th Edition of the National Talent Identification Hunt &
Training Camp for Children with Special Needs, concludes!
Hyderabad, June 2024: The 8th National Parasports Talent Identification Hunt & Training Camp, the nation’s largest para-sports talent hunt and training camp; organized by Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF), a nonprofit organization that aids people with disabilities to pursue sports while providing self-sustenance and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, at JNV Ranga Reddy Campus, Gachibowli, from June 13th to 18th, 2024, concluded, today.
Chief Guest at the valedictory, Shri Shobu Yarlagadda, Trustee of AMF and the esteemed producer of Baahubali, CEO Arka Media; felicitated the para-cyclists who brought laurels to the country by winning medals at the recently held Asian Paracycling Championship 2024 in Kazakhstan. Hand cyclist Yogesh Ahire, winner of bronze medal, World number 5 Arshad Shaikh, winner of silver medal and World number 2 Jyoti Gaderiya, gold medal winner. Arshad and Jyoti have since qualified for the Paralympics, marking India’s first-ever qualification in paracycling for the Paralympics. Additionally, Pavani Banoth, a 15-year-old from JNV who competed in the mixed category with seniors and won a bronze medal at the Para Shooting World Cup, was also be felicitated.
The camp saw enthusiastic participation from 181 children selected from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS) across India, representing eight regions of Shillong, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Patna, Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Jaipur. These children were selected after medically screening over 800 participants in the first round. The camp aims to introduce these young talents to the world of parasports, providing them with the necessary support and guidance to excel.
Shri Shobu Yarlagadda, speaking on the occasion said, it is so heartwarming and touching to see the passionate drive of the principal, staff and deputy commissioner of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, with which all of them are committed to serving the needs of the children, its an eye opener for me. Also their devotion to children with special needs is to be commended. These children need special care and integration, so that they can be independent and productive citizens of the country. Congratulate to the whole team and students for completing this program successfully.
Gopala Krishna, Deputy Commissioner, NVS; said, it’s a dream come true for us, in the past two and half years our association and partnership with Aditya Mehta Foundation taking a concrete shape and were able to bring 185 children with special needs from across the country and host them for eight days. Identify their respective talent in para-sports and give them the foundational training to nurture it further is the dream of our honourable commissioner. Because, inclusive education has been an integral part of curriculum from time immemorial, but the actual support for children with special needs has taken a shape in the annals of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samithi, through this initiative. The support and guidance we received from the Aditya Mehta Foundation is really invaluable, it is because of their expertise, commitment and dedication for this cause, we were able to give it a shape, take this opportunity to express our gratitude on behalf of NVS to AMF for guiding us in this important initiative. We could observe a marked difference in the levels of confidence in the children who participated in this Camp. From the day they came here, to today, there has been a transformational change, which is something we have been observing in the past two years. Ten to twelve of our children who represented the country on international platforms have given us the confidence that if proper support and guidance is provided to these children, we could make them as able as anyone else. The mission and vision of this initiative is to transform your lives through parasports.
The Camp helped identify the talented among these children with disabilities. We screened the children in 28 para-sports andselected 181 children from this camp. They will now be nurtured by providing comprehensive counselling and hands-on experience in various parasports disciplines. These children will be groomed to win 100+ medals for India at the Youth Asian Games 2025 and Paralympics 2028, says Aditya Mehta, Coach and Founder, Aditya Mehta Foundation.
The camp has been supported by several esteemed sponsors and partners, including NMDC, Nirmaan, Gmmco, UST, United Way of Hyderabad, and Alcon, who have all come together to promote inclusivity and sportsmanship.
About Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF): The Aditya Mehta Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding people with disabilities in pursuing sports while providing self-sustenance. Since its inception, AMF has been instrumental in changing the lives of many by providing them with opportunities to excel in sports, thereby fostering a sense of dignity and achievement.