Pune: Two sisters from Mumbai, one specially-abled, have overcome all obstacles in their path to shine, and the Special Olympics movement has had a big part to play in that.
"Sanjana had a lot of social obstacles earlier. She used to very timid and shy; she used to feel very scared when asked to do some activity. We could overcome all those with the help of sports. There are a lot of benefits of sports in all aspects of life," says Mumbai-based Gayatri Pore, the elder of the Pore sisters, with pride, as she spoke to Sakal Times about her sister Sanjana who has Down's Syndrome, but has managed to overcome numerous obstacles through sport in the form of the Young Athletes programme of the Special Olympics movement.
Since 1968, Special Olympics has been providing year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them opportunities to develop their mental and physical fitness.
The movement has nurtured millions of people in the last 52 years, and 15-year-old Sanjana has already come a long way since she was introduced to Young Athletes programme of Special Olympics Bharat (SO Bharat) - Indian wing of Special Olympics - at the age of eight.
Elaborating further on the impact of sport in Sanjana's life, Gayatri said, "With Down's Syndrome, there are a lot of delayed milestones which are physical, cognitive as well as social. Once we introduced her to sports, she started gaining strength. Her body started growing in the way it actually should. This is a milestone I would say."
Sportsman's spirit
Gayatri also said that Sanjana has been able to fight off a lot of sensory, cognitive as well as social issues through her involvement in sports, including overcoming a 'weak vision', which is highly prevalent in those with Down's Syndrome.
"Sanjana has developed a lot from her association with sports, and Special Olympics has further provided her with a great platform so she can explore different things," Gayatri further added of her sister, who plays sports such as athletics, table tennis and shot put and has won numerous medals in all.
The biggest addition to Sanjana's life, as Gayatri sees it, has been a 'sportsman's spirit' that her younger sister has developed over the last few years.
The older of the Pore sisters recalled one such incident from Sanjana's formative years in sports that made everyone around her proud.
It was during the sports meet in her school that Sanjana and her best friend (who also has Down's Syndrome) were participating in a 100-metre athletics event. Sanjana ran forward, while her friend was exhausted after a few metres and slipped and fell.
Noticing her friend's plight, Sanjana ran back to her aid, held her hand, and they both finished the race and won a gold medal together.
"That was very surprising for all of us. Her teachers and the school's principal applauded her, and we were just so happy," said a proud Gayatri, adding, "She has built this sportsman's spirit which is one of the most important factors. If she doesn't win, she won't get upset or sulk over it. She goes to the other competitors and motivates them."
Key role of siblings
As her sister, Gayatri always had a major role to play in nurturing Sanjana and decided to play an even more impactful part in the larger scheme of things. After being introduced to a 'mentorship and youth leadership' programme of Special Olympics by Sanjana's school trainer, who is herself a national level trainer for SO Bharat, Gayatri took it upon herself to spread the message of the 'important role a sibling plays in the life of their brother/sister with special needs'. This, in turn, sparked the idea of a Special Olympics 'siblings program' in India.
Speaking about the same, Gayatri said, "I started pitching the idea to the national office, and after my first few sessions of training, I conducted my first event in Mumbai on 'sibling sensitisation'. I gathered siblings of students from Sanjana's school and communicated to them the importance of a sibling in the kids' lives."
"Last year, me and another such sibling of a child with Down's Syndrome who is from Jammu and Kashmir, went to Guwahati and conducted a session with other siblings of Special Olympics athletes from Assam. Since then, the involvement of the siblings has increased in SO Bharat," added Gayatri.
After success in Assam, they now aim to have at least one such unified sibling pair in every state, adding to which Gayatri says, "If that one pair can conduct even a few such sessions in their state, it will still help a lot."
While Sanjana's evolution, being a special athlete, was sparked by her association with sports and movements like the Special Olympics, Gayatri's growth through the same just goes to show the importance such initiatives can play in all walks of life.
