IIT Madras Hosts ‘Thiramai - Sports 4 All’ for People with Disabilities; Check Details Here

IIT Madras hosted ‘Thiramai - Sports 4 All,’ a three-day adaptive sports event for persons with disabilities. The event introduced adaptive games, with 100 participants competing in eight different sports.

IIT Madras Hosts ‘Thiramai - Sports 4 All’

The National Center for Assistive Health Technologies (NCAHT) and the TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in collaboration with RRD, organized ‘Thiramai - Sports 4 All’, a three-day adaptive sports event for persons with disabilities. Held on the IIT Madras campus, the event aimed to introduce adaptive sports and games, empowering participants with new recreational opportunities.

Thiramai - Sports 4 All

‘Thiramai - Sports 4 All’ is a series of three events planned for 2024-2025, with the current event marking the launch. The first two events are designed as three-day sports camps to introduce and train individuals, primarily those with mobility impairments, in adaptive sports. Participants, mostly with amateur or beginner-level experience, were invited to engage with expert coaches, explore adaptive sports devices, and develop their skills. The inaugural event witnessed over 100 individuals with disabilities competing in eight games, fostering an inclusive environment for empowerment through sports.

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.”

The ‘Sports - 4 All’ events held in 2022 and 2023 were one-day sports carnivals designed to introduce participants to adaptive sports and provide opportunities for competition. These events positively impacted the lives of approximately 700 persons with disabilities, most of whom were new to sports, while also raising awareness about disability and adaptive sports among 300 members of the general public.

Building on this foundation, ‘Thiramai - Sports 4 All’ was envisioned as a platform where individuals of all ages and varying disabilities could explore and pursue adaptive sports in an inclusive environment. The initiative aims to showcase how sports can be accessible to everyone, empowering persons with disabilities to engage in sports for competition, fitness, or recreation, and breaking barriers for millions who remain unaware of such opportunities.

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