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Special Olympics Bharat Announces Squad for Asia Pacific Bocce and Bowling CompetitionSpecial Olympics Bharat (SOB), the national organization dedicated to promoting sports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, has unveiled a 16-member squad to represent India at the upcoming Special Olympics Asia Pacific Bocce and Bowling Competition. The event, scheduled from November 18th to 22nd at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi, will mark the first global competition of its kind to be held in India.The Indian contingent comprises eight athletes each for Bocce and Bowling, accompanied by eight coaches. The Men's Bocce squad features Kabir Pritam Baruah, Ebenezer David, Wilfred Dsouza, and Devansh Agarwal, while the Women's team includes Priyanka, Manjula, Purnima Madan, and G. Subhashini. The Bowling teams consist of Neha Singh, Simran Pujara, Shraddha Patel, and Susri Sangeeta Nayak for the Women's side, and Ibhanan Sahu, Ankit, Prakash Veghela, and Nirupam Dey for the Men's team.Dr. Mallika Nadda, President of SOB, expressed her pride in the squad's selection. "This team embodies the spirit of perseverance and dedication that defines our athletes," she said. "Each member brings not only skill and determination but also the unwavering belief that inclusion and empowerment can transform lives."The competition will focus on older athletes with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) aged 22 or above, providing a unique opportunity for this often-underserved age group. Over 100 athletes from 12 Special Olympics Programs across East Asia, Europe Eurasia, and Asia Pacific will participate, representing countries such as Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macao, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh.The event also marks a significant milestone for SOB, as it introduces bowling as a competitive sport for Special athletes in partnership with the Tenpin Federation of India. This move aligns with SOB's mission to provide inclusive sports opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, regardless of their age or ability.

The Paris Paralympics, set to commence on Wednesday, will witness a spectacular opening ceremony in the heart of Paris, following the city's successful hosting of the Olympics. A new generation of Paralympians will join seasoned veterans in competing at many of the same venues that hosted Olympic events.Eighteen of the 35 Olympic venues will be utilized for the Paralympics, including the Grand Palais, which received high praise for hosting fencing and taekwondo under its ornate roof. The La Defense Arena will once again host the 141 gold-medal events in para-swimming, while the Stade de France will be the stage for track and field competitions.The Games will commence with a ceremony in Place de la Concorde, the central square of Paris where skateboarding and other urban sports were featured during the Olympics. This marks the first time a Paralympics opening ceremony will take place outside the main stadium.The Paralympic flame was ignited at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, the birthplace of the Games, and transported to France via the Channel Tunnel. Theatre director Thomas Jolly, who also oversaw the Olympics opening ceremony, emphasized the symbolism of holding the Paralympics ceremony in the heart of Paris, a city whose Metro system remains largely inaccessible to wheelchair users."Placing Paralympic athletes in the heart of the city is a political statement, as the city is not sufficiently adapted to every handicapped person," Jolly said.Organizers have addressed accessibility concerns by ensuring that Paris buses are wheelchair-friendly and providing 1,000 specially adapted taxis. Ticket sales, which were initially sluggish, have picked up since the Olympics, with over 1.9 million tickets sold to date.Every Paralympics introduces new stars, and this edition will be no exception. American above-the-knee amputee sprinter/high jumper Ezra Frech, at just 19 years old, has already garnered significant attention for his journey to Paris. Familiar faces will also return, such as British amputee sprinter Jonnie Peacock, who made a comeback last year in his bid to win a medal at his fourth consecutive Paralympics.Beyond the track, Iranian sitting volleyball legend Morteza Mehrzad, standing at an impressive 8ft 1in (2.46m) tall, will aim to defend his gold medal. The Paralympics, however, extend beyond sports, serving as a platform to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with disabilities.International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons expressed his hope that the Paris edition will bring the issues facing disabled people back to the forefront of global priorities. He believes the Games "will have a big impact in how people with disability are perceived around the world.""This is one of the key expectations we have around Paris 2024; we believe that we need people with disability to be put back on the global agenda," Parsons said.Paralympic powerhouse China is expected to send a strong squad, having dominated the medals table at the Tokyo Games with 96 golds. Britain, with 41 golds, will be aiming to improve its performance. Host nation France, riding the wave of its Olympic team's success, will be targeting a significant increase from the 11 golds it won in 2021.Ukraine, traditionally a top medal-winning nation at the Paralympics, will send a team of 140 athletes despite the challenges they face in preparing amidst the ongoing war. Athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under a neutral banner but are barred from the opening and closing ceremonies.

Diksha Dagar, a trailblazing golfer, has etched her name in the annals of sports history. Despite her profound deafness, she has defied limitations, excelling both on the golf course and in the classroom.As a second-year BCom (Prog) student at Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL), Dagar recently achieved a remarkable feat by tying for 24th position in the 2024 Amundi German Masters. Her accolades extend beyond the golf course, as she was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award in January 2023.Dagar's journey has been marked by resilience and determination. Born with profound deafness, she relies primarily on lip-reading or sign language to communicate. "I don't think any athlete wants to be referred to [as disabled]," she asserts. "It's like being labelled as someone lesser and being put in a box."Despite the challenges, Dagar refuses to let her disability define her. She has become the only golfer to participate in both the Olympics and the Deaflympics, where she has won two medals. "The biggest challenge [as a hearing-impaired person] is when people have different accents, especially on international tours," she explains. "But overcoming that is as important for me as excelling in my discipline."Dagar's academic pursuits are equally impressive. She credits SOL for providing an "inclusive space" for differently-abled athletes. "When I'm at DU, I feel there are opportunities available to us," she says. "We're the selected few, so we're better off than most physically challenged people in other parts of the country."However, Dagar emphasizes the need for athlete-specific courses in DU to ensure inclusivity for athletes who prioritize their academics. "Being a professional athlete, my academics often take a backseat," she admits. "But it's a well-deliberated decision. That's where an institution like SOL is helpful; it's why I can play 100 LET tournaments."Diksha Dagar's story is an inspiration to all. She has proven that with determination and support, anything is possible. Her achievements on and off the golf course serve as a testament to her unwavering spirit and the transformative power of inclusivity.