The North News
Chandigarh, February 3
A special stadium will be built in Haryana for athletes belonging to the persons with disabilities (PwD) category, and it will have residential facilities for them, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Tuesday.
Addressing the inauguration of the Special Olympics Bharat-Athletics National Championship at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, he said athletes at the event were proving that if given the opportunity and proper training, every individual can achieve extraordinary success by overcoming challenges.
More than 500 athletes from 26 states are participating in the event.
The chief minister said that following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Accessible India” initiative, a special stadium will be built in Haryana for athletes belonging to the persons with disabilities (PwD) category.
Addressing the gathering, Haryana’s Minister of State for Sports, Gaurav Gautam, said that sports facilities for PwD athletes are being developed at Daulatabad in Gurugram. A model sports centre for North India will also be established in the state, he added.
Special Olympics Bharat President Mallika Nadda said Haryana is playing a leading role in the field of sports, with its athletes bringing glory to the state and the nation at national and international levels.
She said that the main objective of these games is to integrate special athletes into the mainstream so that they can make meaningful contributions to a developed India.
Saini said that the true essence of the Special Olympics lies in viewing sports not merely as a competition for medals, but as a reflection of the power and potential of the human spirit.
He further said that often Paralympics and Special Olympics are considered the same, whereas they are different but equally important.
Paralympics are organised for athletes with physical disabilities, while Special Olympics is a global movement for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, he pointed out.
Saini said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the country is moving rapidly towards a developed and inclusive India. “Events like the Special Olympics remind us that true development is measured by how empowered the weakest section of society feels,” he said.
Saini said the Haryana government remains committed to the empowerment of persons with disabilities, the development of sports and inclusive policies, and pointed out that over the past 11 years, Rs 989 crore has been spent on developing sports infrastructure in the state.
