27 September 2023: Special Olympics Bharat (SO Bharat) held the triennial (once in three years) elections of the office bearers & members of the Executive Committee at the Annual General Meeting held on 26 September 2023 at Hotel The Lalit, New Delhi. The electoral college included the elected members of the state committees who underwent a similar process in their respective states. Each state which had conducted elections recommended two delegates to form the electoral college.
~ in compliance with the National Sports Code ~
Dr Mallika Nadda was elected as the President, Ms Chitra Shah & Mr Pawan Kumar Patodia, the Vice Presidents & Dr DG Chaudhari, the General Secretary and Ms Upasna Arora, treasurer of SO Bharat along with three Special Athletes who have earned accolades at the Special Olympics World Games. The returning officer, Mr Jayant K Sud, Senior Advocate, ensured that the progression was in conjunction with the rules and regulations of the Sports code, while also ensuring its timely communication to the relevant stakeholders. Several new and distinguished individuals have joined the movement committing to expand the reach of the program taking it forward on the path of sustained quality growth, as envisioned by Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KrC, AVSM, VrC, the founder of the movement in India
Addressing the elected body Dr Mallika Nadda said: “We are one team that must join hands to support, strengthen and expand the movement in India for the inclusion of persons with Intellectual Disabilities. The Athletes, who are the centre of the movement, must be able to experience a tangible transformation in their daily lives and our union must deliver them into a productive and accessible future”
National Sports Code
The Sports Code, or National Sports Development Code of India to be precise, was introduced in 2011 by the Central government, which wanted good governance practices in the management of sports federations at the national level without interfering in the autonomy of the national sports bodies.
The Sports code keeps national federations accountable and sets a standard for the smooth functioning of all such organizations. It has the sole aim to bring transparency and accountability to the functioning of national sports federations
About Special Olympics Bharat
Special Olympics Bharat is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc. USA, to conduct sports and development programs all over India. Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education, and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Bharat is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India as a National Sports Federation for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. It is incumbent to inform that Special Olympics and Paralympics are separate entities wherein the former reaches out to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and, the latter to those with physical challenges. SO Bharat has over 1.5 million Athletes registered across all the States and Union Territories of India.
