"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
2 Aug 2017
The 2017 Deaflympics which commenced on 18th July in Samsun, Turkey concluded on July 31st. There were 80 participating nations with 2,335 athletes in this year's Deaflympics which are an International Olympic Committee (IOC)-sanctioned event in which deaf athletes compete at an elite level.
Other IOC-sanctioned events include the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Special Olympics. Deaflympics provides opportunities for deaf persons to participate in elite sports. Here, they are not guided by sounds e.g., the starter's guns, bullhorn commands or referee whistles. The motto of the games is equality through sport.
It was a proud moment for India when our Indian Deaflympians returned on Tuesday with a five medal haul. Virender Singh secured gold in the 74kg freestyle wrestling while Ajay Kumar and Sumit Dahiya bagged bronze medals in 65kg and 97kg respectively. India claimed a medal in golf when Diksha Dagar clinched a silver and in men's doubles tennis event, Prithvi Sekhar and Jafreen Shaik won a bronze.
However, our players were disappointed on their return as there was no one to give them a grand welcome. There was not much coverage about their accomplishments. Every win in cricket is celebrated, but the hard work of these players who overcame their disability to win medals for India has gone unnoticed.
