The Special Olympics Bharat concluded the 2024 edition of the Bocce and Bowling National Championships with closing ceremony events in Gwalior and New Delhi on Thursday, September 5. A four-day tournament witnessed 84 special athletes from 21 states participating in the highly successful events.
Bocce events were held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Training Centre for Disability Sports in Gwalior while Delhi's Rcube Monald Mall hosted the Bowling Championships. Uttar Pradesh took the top spot in the Bowling Doubles category while Gujarat emerged winners in the Bowling Mixed Mixed Team event.
The closing ceremony in Gwalior saw the presence of Devendra Pratap Singh Tomar, Associate Vice President of Hockey Team India, as the Chief Guest, Durgesh Kumar Singh, Zila Panchayat Adhyaksh, as the Guest of Honour, and also Pallavi Rai, Deputy Director of Sports at Centre for Disability Sports. Surendra Popli, Vice president of Tenpin Bowling Federation (India) and General Secretary of Tenpin Bowling Association of Delhi, H.V Sarda and Anuradha Sarda, International Bowler, Anu Sood, Treasurer SO Bharat Delhi, and Anil Sharma, Social Activist & Philanthropist attended the closing ceremony in Delhi.
Mallika Nadda, the President of Special Olympics Bharat, thanks Special Olympics Asia Pacific for helping the SOB host and organise the championships. She also praised the special athletes for their 'coordination and teamwork skills' and wished them best for the future tournaments.
“Keeping intact with its core values of inclusion and diversity, the Bocce and Bowling championship gave Special Olympics Bharat a chance to expand its ideals further," Mallika Nadda said. "We are thankful to Special Olympics Asia Pacific for giving us the opportunity to organize this championship. All athletes have successfully showcased their talent, coordination and teamwork skills, and as always, we are extremely proud of all our athletes. Wishing them the very best for all upcoming future championships!”
The 4-day long championship saw the participation of 84 athletes, 42 coaches and 21 states. The Female Doubles category saw Madhya Pradesh taking the top spot in F01, followed closely by Karnataka in F02, Punjab in F03, Tamil Nadu in F04, and Assam rounding out the winners in F05. In the Male Doubles category, Chhattisgarh clinched the first position in M01, with Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry showcasing their talent by securing the top spots in M02, M03, M04, and M05 respectively.
The Bowling Mixed Team event was equally thrilling, with Gujarat emerging as the champions in M1. Pondicherry came in strong to take first place in M2 and Chhattisgarh claimed their gold medal with a solid performance in M3.
In the Bowling Doubles category, Special Olympics Bharat athletes showcased some fantastic performances. Uttar Pradesh took the top spot in the F1 division, while Delhi claimed victory in F2, and Odisha in F3. On the other side, Delhi dominated with first places in M1 and M2, while Assam and Ladakh secured the winning positions in the M3 and M4 events, respectively.
Special Olympics Bharat (SO Bharat) is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc.USA, to conduct sports and development programs all over India. Special Olympics Bharat is recognized by the Government of India as a National Sports Federation for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Founded by Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KC, AVSM, VrC, in 2001 it has over 1.5 million Athletes registered across all the States and Union Territories of India, and continues to grow under the able leadership of Mallika Nadda.
Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968 by Ms Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 6 million athletes and Unified Sports partners in more than 170 countries. Special Olympics works through seven regions, out of which India is part of the Asia Pacific Region. In the Asia Pacific region, Special Olympics has touched lives of more than 1.7 million athletes across 35 countries.
