Disabled athletes from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and slum-dwelling families, who have brought honor to the Gwalior-Chambal division on the global stage, were recognized at the Vivekananda Needam branch complex in Scindia Nagar for their achievements. Among the athletes being acknowledged are international disabled player Sanjeev Kotia, who recently secured a gold medal in Tokyo, Japan.
District Child Protection Officer and Program Officer Women-Child Development Dhirendra Singh Jadaun presided as the chief guest at the event. During the ceremony, Indian athletes clinched 10 gold, 7 silver, and 3 bronze medals at the Para Canoeing Asian Championship and Canoe Sprint Asian Championship in Tokyo. Gwalior's own disabled athlete Sanjeev Kotia was among the gold medalists.
Additionally, other disabled athletes including international para player Arvind Rajak, who won a silver medal in a competition in Romania, national rugby wheelchair player Ajit Prajapati, and national level table tennis player Rajesh Sharma were also honored. The event was attended by Seva Jankalyan Samiti Chairman OP Dixit, Mohanlal Dixit, Manoj Pandey, Shalini Jadaun, and Sanjay Jain.
In a cricket competition held at Sinhgarh Cricket Stadium in Budgaon, Pune, under the auspices of the Disabled Cricket Control Board of India and Maharashtra Cricket Association, Madhya Pradesh emerged as the runner-up, with West Bengal securing the championship title. In the final match, Madhya Pradesh captain Makhan Singh Rajput opted to bowl first. West Bengal posted a total of 158 runs, losing 6 wickets in 20 overs.
Note worthy performances came from Subhojit Pal with 41 runs, Vinoy Tirkey with 42 runs, and Jayesh Parmar with 39 runs. Madhya Pradesh's Mukammal Khan and Ankit Baghel excelled in bowling, each securing three wickets. Despite efforts from Shyam Chakwa, Lucky Karadiya, and Nikhil Mewar, who scored 20, 20, and 15 runs respectively, the Madhya Pradesh team could only muster 107 runs, losing by 50 runs. Srijit and Subhojit of West Bengal claimed 2 wickets each, with Subhojit being awarded the Man of the Match and Man of the Series titles.
