RabindraHyderabad, 14th June 2024: The 8th National Parasports Talent Identification Hunt & Training Camp, the nation’s largest para-sports talent hunt and training camp; being 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, will be held at Hyderabad from June 13th to 18th, 2024. The six day Camp was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Shri Avinash Mohanty, IPS, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad and Guest of Honour Ms Regina Cassandra, Actress & Trustee AMF; today at JNV Ranga Reddy Campus, Gachibowli.
Over 400 children from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas from across India comprising of 8 regions of Shillong, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Patna, Pune, Chandigarh, Lucknow and Jaipur; are participating in the camp. These 400 children were shortlisted after medically screening over 800 children in the first round. The Camp is being organized to unearth budding talent from among the physically challenged children. The camp aims to introduce these young children to the world of parasports, providing them with comprehensive counselling and hands-on experience in various disciplines under one roof by the Aditya Mehta Foundation.
Shri Avinash Mohanty, speaking on the occasion said, seeing all the kids and their talent inspires people like us to do beyond what we are doing now. Not much awareness is there about para-sports, astonished to see what you are capable of, there is so much of talent hidden in each one of you, all you need is an outlet, opportunity to showcase that strength and spirit that lies within you. A camp like this is really a great opportunity for each one of you to put in your best, make use of the opportunity to get opening in the forthcoming events and may be make it to the national and international events. The tie up between Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and Aditya Mehta Foundation is facilitating big things in the para-sports arena, such collaboration should be encouraged, so that it gives opportunities to kids from across the country. Seeing and knowing about your success story here will enthuse more kids to take part in extra-circular activities.
Ms Regina Cassandra said, this event marks the 8th edition of the National Parasports Talent Identification Hunt and Training Camp, a platform dedicated to identifying and nurturing the best para-sport talent in our country. While the ultimate goal is to achieve medals and make our nation proud. It is also to make us aware that where there is a will, there is a way. AMF established in 2013, has always been committed to promote para-sports and para-athletes. Our collaboration with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas over the past three years has been particularly fruitful, through these we identified and nurtured many young talents, many of whom went on to win numerous medals and awards for us. I am delighted at the achievements of girl students from these schools, their remarkable success in the recent competition is a testament to their hard work. It fills me with immense pride to see these young athletes breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks in the field of para-sports. Most of these girls thought that they wouldn’t be able to do that, but they did that, and all the credit goes to the kids, the coaches and the institutions supporting them, it’s not a one-man army’s effort. I am reminded of the significant impact that our foundation had on many lives, we screened, counselled and trained more than 7000 children and adults with special needs, in para-sports, providing them with customized equipment and support. It has not been easy, an uphill task, we as an organization are aware of the fact that it is still going to be one. All the support we get is unfortunately never enough, we need more. These kinds of events, these children and all these athletes are the ones who show us a way and are a beacon of light at the end of the day, telling us that we are doing something good. It’s a proud moment to know that Jyoti and Arshad, two of the AMF athletes broke records and they are the first Indians to be selected for para-Olympics, which will held in Paris.
The National Parasports Talent Identification Hunt & Training Camp is not just a platform for identifying future stars but also a celebration of resilience and determination, says Sh. T. Gopalakrishna, Deputy Commissioner, NVS, regional Hyderabad. This event aims to foster an inclusive environment where every child, regardless of their physical abilities, has the opportunity to shine. Events like these involving para-sports builds confidence of children with special needs, he added.
Our aim is to achieve 100+ medals for our country at Paralympics. Through this camp we are also aiming to find Talent for Youth Asian Games 2025 and Paralympics 2028, says Aditya Mehta, Coach & Founder, Aditya Mehta Foundation.
The program is designed to identify and nurture their abilities, ultimately grouping them into specific parasports based on their individual disability levels and strengths. Throughout the camp, participants will explore a range of parasports and will be counselled and screened for 22 parasports. The structured training sessions is aimed to discover hidden talents and inspiring children to pursue excellence in parasports.
This initiative is supported by several esteemed sponsors and partners, including NMDC, Nirmaan, Gmmco, UST, United Way of Hyderabad, and Alcon, who all came together to promote inclusivity and sportsmanship.
