A 19-member Indian team left for Bordeaux in France to compete in the 9th International Abilympics, an event for persons with disabilities, from March 23 to 27.

• The athletes are being supported by the Hans Foundation, a charitable trust fund.
• Abilympics, coined from Olympics of abilities of persons with disabilities (PWDs), is a global work skills competition held every four years.
• It aims to promote social awareness in the field of skills development and employment both locally and internationally, and foster friendship among the competing nations.
• The contingent of 19 participants was selected from across the country such as Ahmedabad, Pune, Gwalior and Jabalpur (MP), Delhi, Bihar, Allahabad, Chennai and others, to represent India in Bordeaux this year.

Abilympics

• Abilympic are vocational skill competitions for persons with disabilities to enable them to showcase and enhance their talent. Abilympic empower the contestants and help create public awareness about their abilities.
• The National Abilympic Association of India was formed in May 2001 at the behest of the Minitrsies of Social Justice & Empowerment and Human Resource Development, Government of India to serve as a nodal agency to formulate, initiate and implement policies to propogate Abilympics in the country.
• The Mission of National Abilympic Association of India is to create public awareness and nurture the productive talents of persons with disabilities by providing them opportunities to acquire and enhance their vocational skills to achieve economic independence.