Three special athletes and a coach from Jharkhand will be attending the national floorball preparatory camp for the Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held at Kaza, Russia from January 22 to 28 next year.

The camp, which is scheduled between March 15 and 20 in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh is being organised by Special Olympics Bharat (SOB) with logistical support from Sports Authority of India (SAI). It is the final camp for selecting the national floorball squad for the Russia Games.

The three special athletes include Sital Sikka, Rakesh Bagh (both from East Singhbhum) and Rahul Kumar Sharma (Giridih). Abhiranjan Kumar (Ranchi) will go as a coach.

According to Special Olympic Jharkhand (SOJ) assistant area director Satbir Singh Sahota, all the three floorball players are good and expected to perform well at the preparatory camp.

“We have instructed these special athletes to start working on their fitness as final selection for India floorball team will be held during the camp in Bilaspur,” Sahota added.

The SOB has plans to hold two camps for Sital, Rakesh and Rahul in Jamshedpur subject to the approval of JRD Tata Sports Complex from Tata Steel sports wing.

“We have planned to organise the first camp at the end of January or first week of February while the second camp will be conducted (prior to departure of the athletes to Bilaspur) from March 7 to 12,” the SOJ assistant area director informed.

The state chapter will shortly approach Tata Steel sports wing for seeking permission to hold the training camp at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Bistupur. “Training camp is essential to keep our athletes in fine fettle before their leave for Bilaspur. After all, it’s the final selection of the national floorball outfit,” Sahota said.

The special athletes and coach will proceed to Bilaspur on March 13 and will be back on March 22.

The SOJ will ensure that valid passports, Aadhar cards, and IQ certificates of the special athletes are ready by February 15.