The metamorphosis of sports: Differently-abled athletes come into their own

Wheelchair Basketball at the 2012 London Paralympics

When you visit a sports stadium packed with people but hardly hear any noise, that is when you know that there is something really different about the sporting event or the people involved in it. On closer inspection, it is understood that there is not a single player talking. There are a lot of hand gestures and actions, there is plenty of eye contact, but there is nobody who is doing any talking.

Sports is one field where verbal communication is of utmost importance. And these sports personalities have proved that communication in the form of hand and eye gestures is far more compelling and accurate than verbal communication.

Sports for the differently-abled is becoming increasing popular in our country, with the government and many private organizations coming up with tournaments for these people to showcase their skills.

Here’s a look at some of the initiatives in this area:

Family Care’s Cricket for the Deaf

‘Cricket for the deaf,’ which was held by Family Care last year in the month of June at Coimbatore, received an overwhelming response, both from the participants and the media. There were eight teams participating from all over India. The skills displayed by these differently-abled players made for quite a sight. They communicated through sign language and the excitement shown was palpable.

Renuka Rameshan, who was the organizer of the event, was also seen communicating in the same manner with all the players. She said, “Our main aim was to conduct events of this manner in order to bring out the best amongst the differently-abled people and to give them an opportunity to shine.” She added that the rules of the game was essentially the same except for the fact that the players don’t talk to communicate.

Thirumurthi and Kanakaraj, who participated in the event, were happy that they were given a chance to represent their cities and wanted to make sure that they left a mark in the world of sports.

Paralympic Games

The Sports Development authority of Tamil Nadu conducted the Paralympics in the year 2012 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where football, athletics and a host of other events were conducted for the differently-abled people all around the country. Two Paralympic swimming competitions were also held at the end of 2012 and 2013, marking the monumental shift in focus from just normal sports to sports for the disabled.

There are also the Deaflympics, Disability Commonwealth Games and Special Olympics for the disabled people.

The organizations involved

In India, there are a host of organizations involved with providing opportunities for the disabled. The Paralympic Committee of India deals with selecting players to represent India at the Paralympic Games and all the other meets. In Tamil Nadu, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu handles sports for the disabled. The Badminton Sports Association of India for the Challenged is an affiliated member of the International badminton association for the disabled and has been the reason for the emerging of several talented sports personalities with disability.

All of these initiatives are helping the world realize one thing – that differently-abled people have just as much right to participate and excel at sports as their mainstream counterparts.