Avtar Singh is anxiously waiting for the Covid-19 situation to improve before he catches up with the intellectually impaired athletes.

For this, the 70-year-old is pedaling 10 km daily to keep himself in fine fettle.

“I am trying to keep myself fit by pedalling on the Marine Drive. I am waiting for Covid-related situation to ease before I resume training my wards (read intellecually impaired). It is high time I’ve caught up with them,” Singh said.

The septuagenarian captained the India cycling team in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and has been adjudged fastest cyclist of the country several times. He is also a seven-time national champion.

After retiring from the sport, Singh dedicated his life for the cause of special athletes. He is training and channelising the lives of the special athletes for over three decades now. He has produced 10 athletes who have won medals in international competitions organised under the banner of Special Olympics International (SOI).

“Well, I don’t think it’s a big feat. I feel immensely satisfied when my wards do well. Smile on their faces makes me a happy man. It’s as simple as that,” Singh said with modesty.

The list of international medal winners trained by him include Achal Gaurav (cycling and floor hockey), Jehangir Gandhy (cycling), Sanjeev Sharma (floor hockey), Raju Pati (football), Harpal Singh (handball), Rajesh Kumar Singh (handball), Alpana Kumari (floor hockey), Nandita (badminton), Tejinder Singh (athletics) and N Sai Krishna (athletics).

Avtar Singh helps a cyclist during an international Special Olympics competition. Telegraph Picture

“I have identified some special athletes who can be groomed for international competitions. I have my eyes on them but I cannot train them now owing to the prevailing situation,” Singh, a resident of Sonari who has coaching diplomas from National Institute of Sports (Patiala), Germany and Malaysia, added.

Singh runs Jeevika, an NGO involved in promotion of the mentally challenged, with his wife Sukhdeep who had done a course on mental retardation from Deepshikha in Ranchi.

“We use the NGO to bring our students to social mainstream. Some of our students have got married and leading a happy life. Besides sports and fitness drills, we train them on how to make Diwali diyas, paper bags and rakhis. We have also taught them the importance of social distancing, greet people with namaste and to regularly wash their hands,” he informed.

Singh is the only trainer from Asia invited as a technical official for three Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai (2007), Los Angeles (2015) and Abu Dhabi (2019) by the Special Olympic Games organising committee.

Singh has progressed from community, state, national and a regional trainer of Asia Pacific countries.

He was recently honoured with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Award in lifetime category by Samarpan and Bihar Disabled Sports Academy.