iSKATE helps special athletes strike it rich for India at the World Winter Games

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Gurgaon: The Special Olympics World Winter Games, the international sporting competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities, was held in Austria from March 14 – 25, 2017. The event witnessed 2,700 Special Olympics Athletes from 107 nations out of which 89 Indian special athletes participated in this event. The team of Special Olympics Bharat, a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc, Washington, to conduct Special Olympics Programs all over India won a total of 73 medals out of which 4 medals between 3 athletes were attributed to iSKATE’s efforts.
Jyoti and Chanderbhan, iSKATE’s very own marshals, trained six specially-abled Indian athletes in figure skating as well as speed skating. The intense training sessions were conducted for two years and concluded with a special camp on March 01 2017 prior to the athletes’ departure to Austria. They also travelled to Austria for the championship with the India contingent. Ayush Sharma (21) from New Delhi bagged the silver medal for level 1 figure skating whereas Mayank (24) bagged one silver (111 meters) and one bronze medal (55 meters) for speed skating. Similarly, Ellis Tirki (21)from Uttar Pradesh also won a silver medal for speed skating (111 meters).
The event also featured nine different winter sports in venues located in the cities of Graz, Schladming and Ramsau. A delegation of 140 athletes, coaches and youth leaders from 18 states of India represented Special Olympics Bharat in seven sports, namely alpine skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, figure skating, speed skating, floor hockey, floor ball and unified floor ball at the mega event. The victorious delegation returned to India on March 26. In the event, a total of 37 gold, 10 silver and 26 bronze medals were added to India’s kitty.
Dr. Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group has a vision that goes beyond creating a niche in leisure to the overall development of winter sports in India and expanding its reach to all strata of society. Already an extremely popular leisure destination with over 1.5 million visits till date, iSKATE has hosted and supported more than a dozen national level events in ice skating, speed skating and ice hockey along with numerous training camps and sports welfare programs.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to associate with Special Olympics Bharat and I personally congratulate all winners who have made India proud. I am confident that the good work and performance of these talented athletes will continue in the coming years. I also hope that the government and sporting bodies will support iSKATE and the infrastructure development of world class ice skating and speed skating sporting venues, so that players are able to train well and perform their best in national and international events”, says Dr. Ankur Bhatia.