The state sports department with support of state’s Paralympic committee is going to organize Uttarakhand’s first State Paralympics Games. These games will be organised in Dehradun on October 18 and 19.
Prashant Arya, Joint Director, Sports, while addressing media persons here today, said the state’s first Paralympics games would be held in Dehradun on October 18 and 19. The Pavilion ground and the Parade Ground would be the venues for the event.
He further added that the department has identified four Paralympic events—Power Lifting, Sitting Volleyball, Athletics and Wheelchair Badminton—for the games slated to be held in Dehradun.
“The selection trails for the participants would be held on October 10.” Arya added Sports Minister Dinesh Agarwal would be inaugurating the games. Arya said the paralympics games were part of the Chief Minister For Youth initiative.
According to an estimate, about 250-300 differently-abled sportspersons from 13 districts of Uttarakhand will participate in games. The games will take place in city’s Parade Ground. Before this, the state Paralympic committee organized Paralympic games in Dehradun in year 2010. To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence, the state sports department with support of state’s Paralympic committee is going to organize Uttarakhand’s first State Paralympic Games. However, sports department was not part of that initiative.
“The state Paralympic games will provide a much needed platform to the differently-abled players to showcase their talent in front of the people. Invitation would be sent in all the districts for participation in the games and I am sure, maximum number of players will compete in the games,” said Prem Kumar, secretary, Uttarakhand Paralympic committee.
The proposed games will be the first state level sporting competition organized by the sports department for differently abled sports persons since Uttarakhand came into existence in year 2000.
Uttarakhand Sports officials Dharmendra Bhatt and Ajay Kumar were present on the occasion.
