Special Olympics Bharat

Special Olympics Bharat is the accredited programme of Special Olympics International for India and a recognised National Sports Federation under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The organisation was founded in 1987 by Air Marshal Denzil Keelor as Special Olympics India and was registered under the Indian Trust Act, 1882, as Special Olympics Bharat in 2001. The organisation works to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Programmes follow the global Special Olympics movement model and operate across all Indian states and Union Territories through state and district level chapters. Flagship initiatives include Unified Sports, Unified Champion Schools, the Young Athletes Program for ages two to seven, the Healthy Athletes screening programme, and Youth Education and Leadership tracks. Athletes representing the country compete at Special Olympics World Summer and Winter Games and have returned with significant medal hauls across editions. The organisation is designated by the Government of India as the Nodal Agency for all disabilities and reaches more than eight hundred and fifty thousand registered athletes through structured grassroots competition pathways and inclusion programmes in schools and communities.