Social Welfare Minister Nemcha Kipgen inaugurates 1st Wheelchair Basketball Camp
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR
Imphal, September 05 2018:
Social Welfare and Cooperation Minister Nemcha Kipgen today kicked-off the Wheelchair Basketball Introductory Workshop cum Camp held for the very first time in Manipur at Khuman Lampak Indoor Stadium.
The workshop cum camp is being organized by Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) in collaboration with Department of Social Welfare, Government of Manipur and Department of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of Manipur and Shishu Sarothi.
Addressing the gatherings as chief guest, Social Welfare Minister Nemcha Kipgen expressed the importance of sports in everyone's life and stressed that it is even more important in the life of a differently-abled person.
Sport teaches us to be independent, give disciplined lifestyle and awakens sense of competition, she said.
Involvement in any form of sports will not only rehabilitate physical body but will also enhance the willpower of the physically challenged person, she asserted.
She further acknowledged that differently abled people's participation in competitive and recreational sport and maintained that those who overcomes the odds and participates in any paralympic games is commendable and something that should be encouraged and motivated by all.
Nemcha said that Social Welfare Department has been earnestly working for improving the lives of differently-abled people by implementing various welfare schemes and programmes to support them for secure education, academic, skill development that will enable them to earn a living and to become self-independent.
It may be mentioned that this is the first time that Wheelchair Basketball is introduced in Manipur.
The goal of the 3-day Workshop is to train the first set of players and coaches from Manipur state for the long term development of the sport amongst the disability sector in Manipur.
It is hoped that the training will go a long way in contributing to increasing the number of qualified coaches and players for wheelchair basketball in India.
Altogether 25 trainee players including 5 women are participating in this workshop cum camp.
Wheelchair basketball is a para sport played in Paralympics since 1960 and around 105 countries are embracing this game.
In India, this sport was introduced by WBFI in 2014.Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Jacintha Lazarus, Director, Youth Affairs & Sports, Armstrong Pame and Secretary General, WBFI, Kalyani Rajaraman graced the occasion as guest of honours and president respectively.
Officials of both Departments and students from special schools also participated on the inaugural function.