Two Unified teams from India, one male and one female, participated in the Special Olympics South Asia 7-a-side Unified Football Tournament held in Dhaka Bangladesh from 16-20 April 2024. The final preparation of the teams was held at the Manav Rachna University, Faridabad, Haryana, before they left for Dhaka.
Offering words of motivation to the Indian contingent, Special Olympics Bharat President Dr Mallika Nadda said, “The 7-a-side Unified Football tournament in Dhaka is another opportunity to draw attention to the outstanding power of Unified Sports in combining people from different backgrounds abilities and nationalities, on and off the sports field”. Moving on to appreciate the association of Manav Rachna with SO Bharat Dr Nadda said, “Events such as this, journeys us through some overwhelming partnerships that help us promote inclusion through sports”.
The South Asia Unified Cup kicked off on 17 April 2024 with over 90 delegates from 5 Special Olympics Programs, namely Bangladesh, Bharat (India), Hong Kong, Indonesia & Maldives. The games were declared open by Mr. Md. Khairul Alam Sheikh, Honorable secretary, Social Welfare Ministry. The occasion was graced by the presence of several distinguished guests including Mr Dipak Natali, President & Managing Director, Special Olympics- Asia Pacific region, Mr. Md. Shah Alam, Managing Director (Joint Secretary) and Dr. Shamim Matin Chowdury, Immediate Past Chairman & Advisor, Special Olympics Bangladesh.
The Opening ceremony was followed by three days of excitement on the football grounds with each participating team placing its best foot forward. The determination of the players to make their team win was clearly visible. Beyond football, the tournament offered an overwhelming bonding between the players. Healthy Athletes screenings (medical examination of the players) and the Young Athletes drills (early intervention program) ran on the sidelines of the tournament before it concluded on the 19th of April 2024. The SO Bharat Female Football team secured a third position while the male team a fifth. Bangladesh A and Bangladesh B in the female and male categories, respectively, held the first position in the tournament