The 11th Swimming Coaching Camp for the Disabled & Under privileged was inaugurated by Dy. Commissioner yesterday.
150 children, with various handicaps, blind, hearing and talking disabilities, physically & mentally challenged, orphans and poor children have taken part in this camp. They are all provided with costumes, snacks, transport from and to their institutions, medical and other checkups etc during the camp. Promising swimmers are further encouraged during the year. They are sent for swimming meets and encouraged in every way to improve. The children are not only trained by the experts but the elder children who have been trained here earlier take active part in training the new children. The training camp goes on for a period of 25 days and this time 150 children from the age group of 4 years to 14 years are participating. The organizers with the help of some good Samaritan make transport arrangements and also for the costumes of the children.
There are many a success stories here, take Atish Jadhav, who could not stand straight, after training here he won the Gold at the Special Olympics held at Athens.
Once you see these children you think these are really special children but they cannot walk or talk or see as normal ones. But seeing the enthusiasm at the pool side was amazing. Imagine watching a 12 year old completely blind girl by birth jumping from a 10 feet platform with confidence, is amazing.
On Fri. 18th Feb. a function was arranged at the Rotary Corp. Swimming Pool wherein the Dy.Commissioner of Belgaum, Shri Ambukumar, Shri Y. S. Patil, Commissioner, City Corporation, Shri R. S. Naik, Executive Engineer, and Rtn Avinash Potdar, District Governor, R. I. Dist 3170, visited the XI Swimming Coaching Camp for the Disabled and Underprivileged, conducted by Swimmers’ Club, Belgaum , Aquarius Swim Club and Rotary Club of Belgaum and co-sponsored by KLE University.
You can contact: Umesh Kalghatgi – 9448187333 or Prasad Tendolkar – 9845429093 if you intend to help the organizers.