Future champions being groomed for Winter Para Games

By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 31 Jan: As a lead up to the ‘Winter Para Games Training Camp’, the Aditya Mehta Foundation with support from Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board conducted multiple Road Shows in Dehradun to promote Para-Sports and its ultimate goal “Mission 100”.
The Foundation will head to Auli with an 80 strong and determined team that includes specially-abled people, mainly personnel and officers from ITBP, CRPF and BSF from across India who were injured in the Line of Duty. The team also includes AMF’s expert para-game trainers, coaches and physio-therapists for training and shaping the participants in various winter sports. The para-athletes then will be taken through various tests and the best ones will be shortlisted and selected to represent the National Team at the Professional International Winter Para Games. The list of sports is – Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross country skiing, Ice sledge hockey and Para snowboarding.
“We have seen a lot of potential in the people of our Nation to excel at the Winter Games and specially people who live-in high-altitude areas who are blessed with massive lung power and rock solid limbs which are the two very important aspects for any Winter Sports Athletes,” according to Aditya Mehta, Founder – AMF.
The training will be conducted at Auli which is perfect for such Para-Sports, owing to the altitude and abundance of snow. The Foundation will also host an International Event in these sports in the year 2020. The event will see top Para-Athletes from all over the world, and will be supported by ITBP as well as BIAAT (BSF Institute of Adventure and Advance Training, Doiwala, Dehradun).
The Roadshow today at the Parade Ground Badminton Court saw ex-World Champion Anand Kumar Boregowda, Asian Para Games Bronze medal winner Chirag Baretha, and ex-world #2 Girish Sharma (one legged badminton player) exhibited their skills by playing against Ashok Kumar (DG, Law and Order), Bhupinder Kaur (Secretary, Sports), Sanjay Singh (DIG, Indo Tibetan Border Police) and Aparna Kumar (ITBP, and first woman officer to reach the South Pole).
The road shows will continue until 3 February, after which the contingent will move to Auli for specialised training in Winter Sports.