The Special Olympics Bharat National Championship Football 2025 concluded on Wednesday at the SAI Complex in Salt Lake after three days of intense matches and inspiring performances by athletes from across India. More than 300 participants from 22 states took part in the Senior, Junior and Sub-Junior divisions, making it one of the largest gatherings of athletes with intellectual disabilities this year.
The closing ceremony was attended by Dr Mallika Nadda, President of Special Olympics Bharat, who congratulated the athletes and described the event as a celebration of courage, discipline and spirit. She said Kolkata’s support and hospitality had made the championship especially memorable for the visiting teams, families and officials.
The tournament featured both traditional Special Olympics formats. The Senior men’s and women’s teams competed in 5-a-side unified matches, with three athletes and two partners playing together, while the younger divisions followed the standard structure. Over the course of the event, the SAI grounds saw nail-biting finishes, strong defence and an impressive level of friendship between states. Officials confirmed that the matches form an early step in the selection pathway for the 2027 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Santiago, Chile.
Dr Nadda said the talent displayed over the week would help shape India’s football contingent for the global event. She noted that India has been a consistent performer in the international Special Olympics movement, with participation in 16 World Games so far since 1986. At the 2023 Berlin World Summer Games, India won 200 medals, and at the 2025 Turin World Winter Games, the team secured 33 medals, reflecting growth in both summer and winter sports.
She also announced that India’s Unified Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams will compete at the World Games in Puerto Rico on December 3. India’s Special Olympics footballers have also strengthened their international footprint, having won the Gothia Cup in Sweden for two consecutive years.
West Bengal, one of the most active chapters of Special Olympics Bharat, has maintained a strong track record at national and international levels. At the 2023 World Games, the state’s athletes won 9 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze medal. In 2025, three players from Bengal Sourav Roy, Pushpal Kar and Biki Duley were part of the Indian team that lifted the Gothia Cup. Local organisers said the Kolkata championship adds to that legacy by giving emerging athletes a competitive and developmental platform.
The championship opened earlier in the week in the presence of Sushil Poddar, President of the Confederation of West Bengal Trade Associations, along with industry and institutional leaders including Debashish Dutta, Ruchika Gupta, Aruna Tantia and Rajit Bhutoria. Their support, organisers said, reflected growing collaboration between sport, industry and civic institutions for inclusive development.
CA Pawan Kumar Patodia, Vie- President of Special Olympics Bharat and President Special Olympics Bharat West Bengal, highlighted the organisation’s long-standing work in sports, health and leadership programmes for persons with intellectual disabilities. He said athletes train with dedication and compete fearlessly, adding that what they seek from society is empathy, not sympathy.
In her address, Dr Nadda urged corporates, government bodies and community institutions to work together to strengthen pathways for inclusive sports. She reaffirmed Special Olympics Bharat’s national call “Each One Reach One” and encouraged citizens to help build opportunities for athletes to excel. She told the players that the end of the championship marked the beginning of a longer journey and that with courage and opportunity, there is no limit to how far they can rise.
As medals were presented and teams exchanged handshakes, organisers said the 2025 edition had succeeded not just as a sporting event but as a statement of inclusion. Special Olympics Bharat, recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, continues to operate programmes across 33 states, reaching thousands of children and adults every year. Officials said the Kolkata championship reaffirmed that inclusion is not a slogan but something lived and demonstrated on the field in effort, teamwork and shared pride.
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