Steel city-based Satbir Singh Sahota has become the first person in Jharkhand to be awarded Leader III certificate by Special Olympics International (SOI).

The certificate is awarded for hardwork and dedication, with the aim of promoting excellence in leadership at Special Olympics. Sahota is assistant area director of Special Olympics Jharkhand (SOJ) and a former international cyclist.

He had attended and completed a Leader III module during a workshop organised by SOI in Calcutta between January 20 and 23 last year. In all, 24 participants from Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal and hosts India attended the event. . Sahota completed Leader I and II modules during the workshop in New Delhi in 2017 and 2018.

During the workshops, each individual is provided various topics on which they have to give their output, strategic planning and methods of implementation. Participants are later given homework which they have to implement in their respective states and are required to show the results before the merit certificate is issued by SOI.

“It is a proud feeling for me to have received the certificate from the SOI. I would continue to contribute towards spreading wings of Special Olympics in Jharkhand and also towards promoting the intellectually impaired,” Sahota told The Telegraph Online.

Sahota, who has been active in the Special Olympics movement in Jharkhand for over a decade, has been instrumental in spreading the activities involving intellectually impaired across Jharkhand. He has also played a lead role in forming a pool of qualified coaches (men and women) who are trying hard to shepherd the special athletes to mainstream.

SOJ has spread the wings of Special Olympics movement by joining hands with Jharkhand Education Project (JEP). Barring Palamu, Godda, Sahebgunj and Jamtara, the SOJ has channelised activities in rest of the districts. It has also successfully organised State Games in Jamshedpur and Ranchi.

The activities also involved successfully starting training projects for coaches who play a key role in promoting special athletes. The coaches are given study material and required to make a presentation and evaluation report. “It is a tough job but we managed to create a pool of coaches,” Sahota said.

“Our activities were earlier restricted to Jamshedpur and Ranchi but now things have changed for the better. It is largely due to our tie-up with JEP that our wings have been spread to almost all the districts of Jharkhand,” Sahota, a resource person (for cycling) at Special Olympics Bharat (SOB), a national organisation which works for the promotion of intellectually impaired, added.

According to Sahota, there is a need to develop a second line of officials so that activities of SOJ can be conducted in the same pattern.

SOJ area director Bailey Bodhanwala has congratulated Sahota for his achievement.