By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 30 Dec: Thirteen teams from the 13 districts of Uttarakhand congregated to participate in the state level ‘Khel Mahakumbh’ that commenced at Maharana Pratap Sports College on 29 December.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was the Chief Guest on the occasion. A total of 23 sportspersons from Uttarakhand were felicitated at the opening ceremony. Deaflympics 2022 Bronze Medalist Shourya Saini was awarded Rs 1 Crore on the occasion.
Saini is a first year BASLP (Bachelor of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology) student at Swami Rama Himalayan University.
He added might to the Indian participation at the 24th Deaflympics in Brazil by clinching a Bronze Medal in the 10m Air Rifle shooting event in May this year. He finished third with 622.7 points.
To honour his achievement, Vice Chancellor, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dr Vijay Dhasmana had earlier in the year gifted him a cheque of Rs 4 lakh to buy his practice Air Rifle.
“I want the world to know him by his abilities, not his disability,” stated Dr Dhasmana. “He is nothing short of a brand ambassador for our youth,” he added.
Shourya believes that hard things are put in his way not to stop and discourage him, but to call out his courage and strength. “I want youngsters like me to see that that they shouldn’t let a disability get in the way of their dreams,” Shourya avers. “I believe that the impediments in our way are only there to strengthen us. Therefore, I don’t need things easy. I need things possible.”
Also, Abhinav Deshwal, who bagged the gold medal in Deaflympic Games at Brazil, was awarded Rs 2 Crore.
Sports Minister Rekha Arya stated that the winners who have potential will be given training to prove their mettle at the national and international levels. Around 8000 players are participating in the event in Doon.
