Madurai, (Samajweekly) To foster empowerment and equality within the kabaddi ecosystem, the Yuva Kabaddi Series, in alliance with the Indian Association for the Blind, conducted a special kabaddi match for the visually impaired players here on Friday.
The visually impaired player impressed everyone with their skills and were relentless on the mat as they celebrated the power of inclusivity.
The exhibition match was hosted during the monsoon edition of the Yuva Kabaddi Series.
“Inclusivity is at the heart of what we stand for. We believe that sports have the power to transcend physical limitations, inspiring players regardless of their physical abilities,” commented Vikas Gautam, CEO of the Yuva Kabaddi Series.
“The collaboration with the Indian Association for the Blind has been a milestone mission to introduce these specially-abled youth and empower each of them to play kabaddi and showcase their relentless pursuit for excellence despite being visually challenged,” he said.
He added, “This exhibition match not only showcased talents but will also go a long way to inspire others to break barriers and create a more inclusive sports community for the game in India.”
The blind association has been serving blind students to participate in national and international sports and games to showcase their performance worldwide. In the past 15 years, these players got several national and international medals and a total of 14 visually impaired players from Tamil Nadu participated in the Yuva Kabaddi exhibition match as well.
They exhibited incredible skill and resilience leaving the audience in awe and edge of the seat as Madurai Knights defeated Madurai Victors by 61-47 scoreline.
Madurai Knights’ S Kaviraman (11 tackle points) and Madan Raj (17 raid points) impressed the most as they were adjudged best defender and best raider of the match respectively.
“The Yuva Kabaddi Series has been a great experience for the players and it will help them to gain more confidence. The accommodation, food and hospitality were very nice and the organizers of Yuva are very friendly and easy to reach. We would like to thank Yuva for giving us this wonderful opportunity”, stated P Saravanaram, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Blind Sports Association.
