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On 11 April 2005, Special Olympics launched the Inspire Hope India campaign, which aims to reach out to people in India with intellectual disabilities and inspire them to train and compete in sports.
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Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Sunil Dutt (center) told the Special Olympics delegation, including Special Olympics Bharat coach Harpreet Shingh (left) and athlete Joginder Bendi, that the government would be supportive of Special Olympics' efforts to expand the movement in India. |
Through the campaign, Special Olympics Bharat (India) plans to enroll 100,000 new athletes by the end of 2005 and inspire 20,000 volunteers to help the Program reach this goal. The campaign was officially launched at a press conference in New Delhi, India, by Special Olympics Chairman and CEO Timothy Shriver, accompanied by Special Olympics International Board Directors Raymond J. Lane, Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Bart Conner, Olympic gold medalist.
At the press conference, Shriver said, "For 36 years, Special Olympics has been changing the way people think about individuals with intellectual disabilities, resulting in greater respect and inclusion of our athletes within the community. Special Olympics has designated India as a priority nation, as this country stands ready to play a significant leadership role among other countries in creating opportunity and acceptance for people with intellectual disabilities."
Elaborating on the campaign, Troy Greisen, Managing Director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific, said, "The Inspire Hope campaign will help raise awareness and draw much-deserved attention to the need for society at large to accept and include people with intellectual disabilities. Through the campaign we hope to raise 87,620,000 Indian Rupees (US$2 million) for activities in India and establish 200 new local Programs in communities across India. These initiatives are expected to touch the lives of 20 million people in the country."
Special Olympics delegation visits President Kalam, Sonia Gandhi and Minister Dutt
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Special Olympics Chairman and CEO Timothy Shriver (center) and Board Director Bart Conner (right) show Sonia Gandhi, Member of the Indian Parliament, I am Proud, a book of photographs of Special Olympics athletes taken by renowned photographer Richard Corman. |
The press conference was the first of several events to help kick off the Inspire Hope India campaign. Shriver, Lane and Conner, accompanied by Air Marshall Denzil Keelor, Chairman of Special Olympics Bharat, and Special Olympics athletes and coaches, met with Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam; Sonia Gandhi, Member of the Indian Parliament and widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi; and Shri Sunil Dutt, Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports. President Kalam and Mrs. Ghandi lit the "Flame of Hope" to show their support of the effort to raise awareness of Special Olympics and increase participation in India. Minister Dutt applauded the good work of the Special Olympics movement and assured Shriver that the government would extend its cooperation to the effort to promote confidence and self-respect among people with intellectual disabilities in India.
On 13 April, the “Flame of Hope” lit by President Kalam and Mrs. Gandhi will be used in a torch lighting ceremony at the majestic Taj Mahal, followed by a Special Olympics cricket match and Unified Sports® celebrity cricket tournament in Mumbai.
Legendary cricketer pledges his support
Inspire Hope India already has drawn support from elite athletes. Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev has pledged his support to the campaign, and will serve as honorary head coach for the Special Olympics Bharat cricket team. (In December 2004 Special Olympics Asia Pacific held the first-ever Special Olympics cricket tournament in Ahmedabad, India, drawing 21 teams from 20 states in India and one team from Pakistan.) Dev, who led India to a World Cup victory in 1983, was named Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002. "I think there is something for us to learn from [Special Olympics athletes] in their pure and genuine passion and love for the game," said Dev. He also honored Joginder Bendi, captain of the Special Olympics Delhi team that won the cricket tournament in December 2004.
Oberoi Group signs on as first Inspire Hope India sponsor
Greisen also announced The Oberoi Group, an international travel and hospitality firm, as the first sponsor of Inspire Hope India. "The Oberoi Group is always looking for new ways to make a meaningful contribution in the country of India and we feel that our partnership with Special Olympics allows us to do just that," said Paul Simmons, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, The Oberoi Group. By supporting Special Olympics and their ambitious effort to grow throughout the country, The Oberoi Group hopes to bring smiles to the many faces of persons with intellectual disabilities in India."
"The contributions and significance of Special Olympics reach far beyond the arena of sports," said Air Marshall Keelor, Chairman of Special Olympics Bharat. "The organization brings encouragement to persons with intellectual disabilities and their families. All of us here are excited to have the opportunity to work with Special Olympics to spread hope through sports for persons with intellectual disabilities across India."
Special Olympics Bharat operates in 24 states with more than 100,000 registered athletes and conducts 50 competitions annually in 12 Olympic-type sports. Special Olympics Bharat is committed to the targets set for the Inspire Hope campaign and to improving the lives of 31 million Indians who have intellectual disabilities.
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