South Zone Regional ‘Abilympics’ 2024 flagged off in Bengaluru

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: The two-day South Zone Regional ‘Abilympics’ 2024 got underway at St. Joseph’s University in Bengaluru on Thursday. The event organised by the National Abilympic Association of India (NAAI) showcased the vocational skills of the differently-abled community in south India. The event witnessed more than 100 participants competing in 15 vocational categories, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT), crafts, and food service categories. The event is also supported by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities DePwD which comes under the Union government, Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT), St Joseph University, Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts (APCA) and Apparel Training and Design Centre (ATDC). As per NAAI, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) form over five per cent of India's population. Sanjay Kumar Das, Area Director - Operations (South) of Lemon Tree Hotels, said their chain hired and integrated differently-abled persons.

“Our approach has been to provide every team member with the tools they need to communicate and collaborate like sign language training so that inclusion is not just a policy, but a part of our daily operations,” he said. At the 10th International Abilympics in Metz, France, in 2023, India had secured seven medals with a 13-member team. They hope to do better in the Finland Abilympics in 2027.