Panjim: Forca Goa Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Special Olympics Bharat at Don Bosco Conference Hall on 3rd August 2018. Under the terms of the MOU, Special Olympics Bharat will provide sensitization training to all the coaches from The Foundation and in turn the coaches will provide coaching assistance and support for activities and trainings conducted by Special Olympics Bharat.
The MOU signing was preceded by an orientation for all the Foundation’s coaches by Victor Vaz, National Director, Special Olympics Bharat. At the orientation, the coaches were taken through the history and achievements of the Special Olympics Bharat team. The coaches from the Foundations were also briefed on the challenges faced while coaching a team of special athletes and how to overcome them. Following the orientation, the coaches were taken to the Don Bosco Indoor ground and were given the opportunity to deliver a short training session for a group of special athletes from Goa.
Jill Ferguson, Managing Director, Forca Goa Foundation – “This MOU signing reaffirms our commitment towards inclusive football and giving all children the opportunity to play this game. With this partnership, we hope we can develop more talented athletes and bring awareness to the abilities of these special children.”
As part of the MOU and also to raise awareness about special athletes, players from FC Goa participated in an exhibition futsal match played by unified teams recently. The match saw FC Goa first team stars Laxmikant Kattimani, Pratesh Shirodkar, Lenny Rodrigues and Jonathan Cardozo play with special athletes in a thrilling game of futsal. The players later gave away the medals to the winners of the Special Olympics Unified Futsal Championship 2018.
Forca Goa Foundation firmly believes in inclusive football and has undertaken various initiatives under its #Football4All campaign to make football accessible to everybody. From helping organise the state’s first Blind Football game to this landmark MOU signing, the Foundation hopes that more children from Goa get the opportunity to showcase their talent regardless of their gender or ability.
About Special Olympics Bharat
Special Olympics Bharat which is a National Sports Federation having over 14 lakh Special Athletes registered from all the States and Union Territories. SO Bharat is accredited by Special Olympics Inc, Washington, to conduct Special Olympics Programs all over India. Special Olympics, an international organization, organizes Olympic-type sports for persons with intellectual disabilities, unleashing the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports every day around the world.
Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to 5.5 million athletes in 172 countries. The Mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Special Olympics Bharat is recognized by the Government of India as a National Sports Federation in the Priority Category for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disability and has been designated as the Nodal Agency by the Government for all disabilities on account of its national presence, outreach and experience.
About Forum for Sports and Freedom of Expression (Branded as Forca Goa Foundation):-
Forca Goa Foundation is an NGO based in Goa, India that aims to use football to mobilize, empower, and connect communities for the positive development of individuals and our State. The Foundation believes that football has a huge potential as a tool for social development due to the large number of people from diverse backgrounds that it appeals to. We currently conduct free football coaching for 1200 children and youth across Goa. We also work with an additional 3827 students through our festivals and 2937 students through our statewide leagues.
