Indian athletes win big at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi with 233 medals and more to add on

Mar 20, 2019, 11:45 IST

The 15th Special Olympics World Games is underway in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with athletes from over 200 countries. Indian athletes have already scored big at this year’s event.

India sent 378 athletes to participate in the Special Olympics and has won 60 gold, 83 silver, and 90 bronze medals so far. Three Indian paddlers bagged the gold medal in the women’s singles section on Sunday.

The mega event of Special Olympics over the years has been aimed at eliminating notions that intellectually disabled children should be walled in because of social barriers.The ongoing global event, which will conclude on 21 March, will have over 7,500 participants showcasing their talent in 32- Olympic-type sports. Catch up on the buzz from the latest event below:

Indian athletes win big at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi with 233 medals and more to add on

Indian athletes made history after winning medals in the women’s singles section on Sunday during the Special Olympics held in Abu Dhabi.

Till now, India has 233 won medals including 60 gold medal, 83 silver medal and 90 bronze at the sports event

Sonu Kumar from Haryana in India won a gold medal in Judo by winning all three bouts. Muskan won a gold medal in deadlifting. She got a silver each in squat and bench press.

The Special Olympics kicked off on Thursday evening with 7,500 special athletes from 200 countries marching down the Zayed Stadium to cheer up a crowd of over 40,000 people.

Special Olympics, held every two years, is a global sports event that was created with a vision to include each and every individual without considering their ability or disability.

There are 24 sporting events to be played at the Games ranging from table tennis, roller skating, basketball, bowling, football/soccer to volleyball.

Over 2,800 women athletes are to participate in different sports during the week-long event.

This year, the athletic event is being held in the Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE to celebrate the 50-year history. The last edition of Special Olympics was organised in Austria.

Different from Paralympics, the special olympics event involves participants with not just physical, but intellectual disabilities.

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