Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: Hailing the laurels brought by four visually impaired Judokas of Jammu and Kashmir for bagging one gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the just concluded 11th Para National Judo Championship in Lucknow, BJP today appreciated their resilience, fortitude and love for the game, hoping that their distinction will serve as an inspiration for all to aim high and excel in their chosen sports.
Felicitating the boys,. Devender Singh Rana, Sr BJP leader said “The sons of soil have proven once again that there is no dearth of talent in Jammu and Kashmir and the only need is to identify them for being coached by experts in the field”. He said the contribution of the visually impaired and specially abled in every sphere of activity including arts and sports has not been second to none. This is something that is heart-warming for all of us, he added.
Rana wished the winner all the success to the Judokas for all the events they participate in times to come and hoped that they will definitely make their mark in national and international championships. He said they have made every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir proud.
Sham Lal Sharma, BJP Pradesh Vice President lauded their grit and determination in overcoming hurdles and difficulties to translate their dreams into reality. The outstanding performance of the visually impaired players in the national event will certainly enthuse similarly placed sports persons in various disciplines and encourage them to participate in various competitions in a big way.
Sharma emphasized the crucial need of overall growth of the youngsters, especially those specially abled and said the sports will ensure this aspect of their lives.
Arun Prabhat, President BJYM, while felicitating the young boys, said, “We all must encourage them and urged the Government to provide all support to such budding specially abled sportspersons, who not only brought laurels to the UT, but also serve as a source of inspiration for all others”.
Rana and Sharma also complimented their coaches for shaping the destiny of Judokas by perfecting their skills in the most professional manner.
Arvind Gupta and Prem Sagar Aziz were present on the occasion.
The 11th Para National Judo Championship was organized by the Indian Blind and Para Judo Association (IBPJA) from March 3 to March 7 at K.D Singh Babu Stadium Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
While Shahid Ali bagged the Gold medal, Sourav Guleria clinched Silver and Tariq Ahmed and Sadam Hussain both won Bronze Medals.
The team of Blind Boys was coached by Chief Judo Coach Suraj Bhan Singh of J&K Sports Council and escorted by Rameshwar Jamwal Judo coach and Ajay Thakur as Team Manager for the championship.