The New Nation - Internet Edition

Grameenphone Ltd, in partnership with Special Olympics Bangladesh, is organising a regional talent hunt for intellectually-challenged athletes. This was announced at a press briefing held at the Grameenphone Head Office on November 10 last.

The objective of the talent hunt is to form a 'national talent pool" of intellectually-challenged athletes and to empower them by nurturing and nourishing their sporting capabilities.

Once finalised, the national talent pool will be further groomed, nurtured and prepared for the next Special Olympics, the largest sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, in 2011.

The first regional talent hunt starts with Rajshahi division at the Rajshahi Physical Training College from 19 to 23 November, 2008.

Athletes from nine special schools, covering Rajshahi, Bogra, Pabna, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Panchagar, Nilphamari, Joypurhat, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, Natore, and Sirajganj districts, will be participating. Subsequently the talent hunt will be extended to other divisions as well.

It is expected that 150 boys and 50 girls will be participating in the talent hunt in Rajshahi under the guidance of specially trained coaches from Special Olympics Bangladesh. Simultaneously, 50 coaches are currently undergoing a six-day special training session by both local and international instructors at BKSP, Savar premises.

Syed Yamin Bakht, Director, Public Relations Division, Grameenphone, Shuvashish Priya Barua, Head of CSR, Grameenphone, Ashraf ud Dowla, Founder Chairman, Special Olympics Bangladesh, and Dr Shamim Matin Chowdhury, Chairman, Special Olympics Bangladesh were present at the press briefing.

Speaking on the occasion, the Grameenphone PR Director said that it is expected that the training would "help the athletes to become independent and to gain self confidence, so that they can not only be a part of the society in which they live, but also play an active role with their own achievements to stand upon."

Earlier in 2007, the Bangladesh Special Olympics Team, comprising of 47 participants, performed exceptionally well in the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games, winning a total of 71 medals.

As the sole sponsor, Grameenphone provided necessary support and training for the athletes to participate in the Games.

It should be noted that 10 percent of the population of Bangladesh is still challenged with some form of disability or the other, and outside the initiatives of the government and a handful of private and non-profit organizations, there is very little done for the welfare of the disabled.

Special Olympics Bangladesh is a non-profit organization, accredited by Special Olympics International, and created to help people with intellectual disabilities to develop self-confidence, social skills and a sense of personal accomplishment through sports training and competition.