Special Olympics Bharat wishes luck to the Unified female football team bound for the Unified Cup 2022 Detroit

29 July 2022 New Delhi: SO Bharat hosted a Send-off ceremony for the Unified female football team at the India International Center, New Delhi today. The event was graced by Shri Virender Kumar, Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt of India, who presided as Chief guest wishing luck to the Special Athletes.

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He was joined by many other distinguished guests, including the SO Bharat officials, Dr Mallika Nadda, Chairperson, Dr DG Chaudhari, General Secretary, Air Cmde Sharma, Executive Director.

In the words of Shri Virender Kumar, Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt of India:

“Papiya Murmu will lead India's effort at the Unified Cup, and as captain, she will represent not only her team, but the entire country. She is incredibly courageous and talented and she is travelling to the United States with her teammates to make us all proud. And being present during these girls' farewell ceremony for the Unified Cup is a proud moment for all of us. I wish all of these young ladies the best of luck and hope they bring home the trophy.”

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In the words of Dr Nadda: “The Unified Cup is back again to draw attention of the world to the outstanding power that Unified Sports has in combining people from different backgrounds and abilities, on and off the sports field. In view of the practises and a rigorous schedule followed by the Trainers, Coaches and the teammates, I have no doubt that we will place our best foot forward in Detroit. The energy and bonding that I have observed within the team is striking and I would like to reach out to India and beyond, to open your hearts and accept people who are different. This is the underlying meaning of events such as this. Let us join hands to make Inclusion a reality and this world a better place.”

In the words of Shri Virenderji :

“Prior to the Send-off the team was attending the final preparatory Camp at the Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Faridabad, Haryana for the past ten days, upgrading individual skills as well as practising competitions with various football teams. Six Athletes and five Unified partners from 6 states are geared to face the global football competition to be held in Detroit, Michigan, USA.”

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Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota

The Special Olympics Unified Cup 2022 presented by Toyota will show the world how the power of sport builds and shapes a diverse community that unites and empowers people of all abilities, from all backgrounds. Detroit will welcome over 300 footballers from over 20 nations to compete in football (soccer)—the world’s most popular sport.

The event is slated for 31 July – 6 August, 2022 and Special Olympics Unified Sports® is what makes it uniquely inclusive: Teams are comprised of footballers with and without intellectual disabilities playing together. The Special Olympics Unified Cup features competition broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers across the globe. The week-long event will showcase athletic performances on the pitch, and highlight stereotype-defying stories off the pitch—changing minds and opening hearts through transformational inclusion. The 2022 Detroit event will be the second-ever tournament in this single-sport series. The first edition of the tournament was held in 2018 in Chicago.

SO Bharat has pitched a Unified female football team comprising of 11 Athletes and Unified partners from 6 states of India. The team is set to leave for the games venue at 2:50AM on 30 July via AG(LH) Lufthansa 761. The team is scheduled to return to India on 8 August 2022 at 8:55PM

About Special Olympics Bharat

Special Olympics Bharat is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc.USA, to conduct sports and development programs all over India. Special Olympics Bharat is registered with the Indian Trusts Act 1882 and is recognized by the Government of India as a National Sports Federation (since 2006) for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Founded by Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KC, AVSM, VrC, in 2001 it has over 1.5 million Athletes registered across all the States and Union Territories of India.

Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968 by Ms Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 6 million athletes and Unified Sports partners in more than 190 countries. Special Olympics works through seven regions, out of which India falls under the Asia Pacific Region. In the Asia Pacific region, Special Olympics has touched the lives of more than 1.7 million athletes across 35 countries.