The event serves as a platform for persons with disabilities to train with expert coaches, explore adaptive equipment, and develop their skills in an inclusive environment.
The NCAHT and R2D2 centres at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), along with RRD, are organising ‘Thiramai ‐ Sports 4 All’, a three-day Sports Event for persons with disabilities in the campus from today (22nd Nov 2024).
The event is aimed at introducing adaptive sports and games to persons with disabilities. A total of 100 persons with disabilities took part in a total of eight games being held during this event, which is from 22nd to 24th November 2024.
This pioneering initiative is being spearheaded by National Center for Assistive Health Technologies (NCAHT), IIT Madras and TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), IIT Madras and sponsored by RRD, a multinational company.
Prof. Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, inaugurated the event in the presence of Dr. Manish Anand, Event Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, Mr. Kaushik Sarawgi, Managing Director and Senior Vice President, RRD GO CreativeSM, and other stakeholders.
Welcoming all the participants, Prof. Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean (Students), IIT Madras, said, “The ‘Thiramai Sports 4 All’ event is uniquely positioned to provide a platform for persons with disabilities. We want even more and more people to take part in the coming years. Our goal is to highlight the importance of adaptive sports in enabling community participation and empowering individuals with disabilities to recognise their capabilities and nurture promising talent for future opportunities in adaptive sports.”
Elaborating on this event, Dr. Manish Anand, Event Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “This event is a significant and continued step by R2D2 and NCAHT towards fostering inclusion and innovation in the community through the joys of sports. By bringing together individuals with different disabilities across various age groups, it promotes physical well-being and social integration, an oft overlooked aspect of rehabilitation. It serves as a powerful motivator for people to engage in physical activities in the community and look past their disabilities to a horizon of possibilities.”
‘Thiramai – Sports 4 All’ includes three events over 2024-2025, with the current event being the first. The first two events will be held as a 3‐day sports camp to introduce and train primarily persons with mobility impairments in different adaptive sports. Around 100 participants with amateur or beginner experience in sports were invited to interact and engage with coaches, learn about adaptive sports devices and hone their skills.
The final event includes a carnival of sports and games to engage participants from wider groups of disabilities such as cognitive, hearing and visual, among others, together with a fun zone for children and accompanying caregivers.
The Sports Events held included:
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair badminton
III. Wheelchair tennis
- Wheelchair cricket
- Wheelchair racing
- Table tennis
VII. Throw events ‐ javelin, discus, shop put
VIII. Boccia
The event, ‘Thiramai Sports 4 All’, was an evolution of two earlier initiatives: Thiramai 2020, conceptualised by RRD, and Sports 4 All events in 2022 and 2023, organised by R2D2 and NCAHT at IIT Madras.
‘Thiramai – Sports 4 All’ was conceived to provide a platform where persons with different disabilities and all ages can pursue various adaptive sports and games in an inclusive environment. The objective was to demonstrate the possibility of playing sports despite a disability, for competition, fitness or recreation that otherwise millions are not aware of.
persons with disabilities are often excluded or overlooked due to barriers such as lack of awareness, inaccessibility, and limited information which hinders meaningful participation in society. A key objective of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is ‘Inclusion’. Sport can play a vital role in fostering inclusion, helping individuals with disabilities develop social skills, strengthen body and mind, and build self-sufficiency.
