October 2017 Greetings from Special Olympics...
Transcript of October 2017 Greetings from Special Olympics...
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October 2017
Greetings from Special Olympics Bharat
We have to grow in quality and with a message to the world that we will not stop - Dr Tim Shriver,
Chairman, Special Olympics International
Dr Tim Shriver’s arrival in India (New Delhi) this
month opened with his first session with Special
Olympics Bharat’s engagement with the WWE
Superstar Jinder Mahal. The evening witnessed the
Chairman’s first address to the Athletes, Coaches
and family members in the presence of the
superstar. While Jinder Mahal presented Dr Tim
Shriver with a belt, he was gifted with the Red Play
Unified Ball along with the message it symbolizes.
Mr Shawn Ferguson from SOI, Mr Simon Koh and
Ms Catherine Ho from SOAP were part of the
Special Olympics team
The Chairman continued to blend deeper into the SO Bharat family starting right from the football grounds
of the Frank Anthony Public School the next day, where he kick started the match played between Unified
teams comprising of Delhi Dynamos and India Spurs as Unified partners. The excitement scaled higher as
the morning announced a collaboration between Delhi Dynamos, the ISL football team and SO Bharat in
Unified sporting activities, in the presence of Mr Ashish Shah, CEO of the team. Wow the energy levels on
a Monday morning is amazing! We want to play at grassroots. It is an honour to be part of this event. The
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players and cheer leaders are the VIPs here and hopefully we will see you at the stadium during one of the
matches- Mr Ashish Shah
Dr Shriver’s trip entailed a comprehensive circuit coming face to face with the valued stakeholders of SO
Bharat including the Area Directors, Clinical Directors, Media persons, youth leaders along with the Athletes
and Coaches while also visiting key schools which have been involved in the Special Olympics Unified
engagements- The Apeejay School Pitampura and the Kulachi Hansraj School Ashok Vihar, New Delhi.
Media interactions and Meetings with Government leaders further stoked the need to spread awareness to
affect attitude change and augment growth of the movement with quality in India
We are all involved in a revolution. It’s not a violent revolution, it’s not an aggressive revolution; It is a
revolution of the heart. A revolution that transforms the mind- Dr Tim Shriver Media Coverage
The outcome of Tim Shriver’s earlier visit in 2006 led to the recognition of SO Bharat as National Federation
for the development of Sports for persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the Priority Category, creating a
historical milestone for us. An invaluable implication of this recognition lies in it being the biggest act of
Inclusion all over the world, demonstrating hope, trust and confidence, thereby transforming lives of our
Athletes for the better. I am proud and honoured that I have been able to share a part of the development
and experience of this global movement – Air Marshal Denzil Keelor Pics
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With Amity University in nurturing a Unified Generation
Continuing to keep the association strong and relevant the Amity University held a Special Olympics Unified
Sports training at the Campus on 21st and 22nd of September 2017 . The training was led by by MM Khurram
and Sagar Chaudhary who were assisted by Suresh and Siddhant Nath. 80 students of the Amity Institute
of Rehabilitation Sciences(AIRS) and Amity School of Physical Education & Sports Sciences(ASPESS)
participated in the program
The training rolled out the fundamentals and models of Unified sports through indoor theory sessions along
with on field application of the same through demonstrations and simulation practises specifically in Unified
Bocce and Football. The trainees delivered a session engaging directly with 20 Athletes who joined them
on the second day , being assessed and evaluated by the resource team
Tottenham Hotspur Foundation- Coaching Clinic Module II at Goa
A four day workshop was conducted from 5 – 8 September 2017 at Don Bosco Panjim Goa with two
additional days of training , 9 & 10 September 2017, extended to Coaches from the GFDC. The Training
was led by Coaches from the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation (THF), UK-Dan Slaughter & Dan Dodge along
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with Dipak Natali Director - Organization Development and Coen Van Putten, Senior Sports Development
Manager from SOAP.
40 Coaches from 18 states of India participated to
progress to the second module of the Coach
Development program, having participated in the first
module conducted in November 2016 at
Bhubaneswar Odisha. 50 GFDC (Goa Football
Development Council) Coaches from North and South Goa received training on 9 and 10 September at the
same venue. Unified 5-a-side football matches were held with 30 Athletes and 20 Unified Partners on the
last day of training. Dan Dodge , Coach Development Tutor, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, “ This is
my second experience with most of them so they already have a basic foundational knowledge. This course
was to build on that and take them to the next level. The training was received well despite the language
barrier, which we tried to overcome. Moving forward, I expect them to take the seed that we’ve planted and
help it grow the spurs way”
A Morning of Warmth & Joy - with Ms Natalia Vodianova
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Ms Natalia Vodianova, Special Olympics International Board Member visited the SPJ Sadhana Special
School Sofia College Campus, Mumbai on 22 September 2017. The morning saw an unusual frenzy of
activities and arrangements prior to her visit, which suddenly calmed as she blended perfectly with the
Athletes, School representatives and the Special Olympics Bharat Maharashtra team. Ms Natalia created
innumerable cherish-able moments with her instant connect with the Athletes who are receiving training
across departments of Hospitality , media engagement, exclusive art and more vocational skills along with
a fun-filled Young Athletes session. The refreshments which were served were prepared by the Athletes,
as part of their training at the Centre.
Natalia Vodianova, is a member of the SOI Board of Directors, lending her support to numerous fund-
raising events over the years. “Visits to Special Olympics are always very special! But in India it went to
another level. Thank you for recharging my soular battery”
The 2nd Regional Unified Sports Advisory Committee Meeting (RUSAC)- Chennai
September 2017 saw convergence of the Special Olympics Representatives from Washington DC, USA
and from over 8 countries from the Asia Pacific Region including the Leaders from Special Olympics Bharat
at the Tech Park, SRM University Campus, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu, India. At the power packed venue,
the 2nd RUSAC meeting inked MoUs with 6 organizations including the SRM University, Lions International
District 324 A6, Lions Club of Chennai Mount City, Montfort Community Development Society, Rotary Club
of United Chennai Dist 3232 and Planet 3 Sports committing to support Special Olympics Unified Sports
A Special Olympics Unified Cricket Competition was held with participation of 75 Athletes and 75 Leos as
Unified Partners at the SRM University Cricket Grounds in a one-day competition
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IKEA Foundation- Lets Play for Change Exclusive
Changing the Game- IKEA India plays with Young Athletes
“I have read about Special Olympics but coming here and engaging with the Athletes has made me relate
with the program- how sports can truly be a catalyst; Even as a parent I will tell my child to play- it is
important”- IKEA India team member
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The IWitness program took the Resource Team from SOI, SOAP , SO Bharat National Office and the State
Chapter to the IKEA India office in Hyderabad to introduce the Special Olympics program along with the
ongoing IKEA project. A team of 13 members from their office geared to enter a new experience – and were
very excited to do so too
The team visited the Child Guidance Centre and
Spurthi Special School in Hyderabad observing,
participating enthusiastically with the Athletes while
constantly interacting with School Authorities, family
members, Mentors and the State Chapter, eager to
connect with the whole environment. They look forward
to many such interactions and continue with regular
dialogues with the family members and mentors to map
progress and monitor a meaningful delivery of the
project. The IWitness program was part of the IKEA
Foundation’s “Let’s Play for Change” campaign, which
aims at more than 300,000 children with intellectual
disabilities to gain access to play-based development activities through Special Olympics Young Athletes
Program. The Young Athletes program highlights the importance of play and includes a series of structured
physical activities, songs and games to teach basic motor development skills Read More From the heart
Impact evaluation of Development Skills and Community Inclusion – AIT
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To lead research efforts in the Special Olympics Young Athletes program supported by IKEA Foundation a
team from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) , Bangkok visited India in the month of September
2017.Directly working under the SOI they are facilitating Impact evaluation of Development Skills and
Community Inclusion for 4 C's (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Thailand). The purpose of the visit was to
gain an overview of the SO Bharat program along with a comprehensive implementation of the Project. The
visit took them to Asha AWWA and Kulachi Hansraj Schools in Delhi and the Chetanalaya Center and
Aanganwadi at Rohtak to witness the program along with interacting with stakeholders in the community.
This visit to India also connected them with their local partners – The Amity University NOIDA
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