Special Olympics Bharat successfully completes its election process

Special Olympics Bharat (SO Bharat) held the triennial (once in three years) elections of the office bearers and members of the Executive Committee at the Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday here.

The electoral college included the elected members of the state committees who underwent a similar process in their respective states. Each state which had conducted elections recommended two delegates to form the electoral college.

Dr Mallika Nadda was elected as the President, Chitra Shah and Pawan Kumar Patodia, the Vice Presidents and Dr DG Chaudhari, the General Secretary and Upasna Arora, treasurer of SO Bharat along with three special athletes who have earned accolades at the Special Olympics World Games.

The returning officer, Jayant K Sud, Senior Advocate, ensured that the progression was in conjunction with the rules and regulations of the National Sports Code, while also ensuring its timely communication to the relevant stakeholders. Several new and distinguished individuals have joined the movement committing to expand the reach of the program taking it forward on the path of sustained quality growth, as envisioned by Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KrC, AVSM, VrC, the founder of the movement in India, as per a Special Olympics Bharat press release.

Addressing the elected body at hotel The Lalit, Dr Mallika Nadda said: "We are one team that must join hands to support, strengthen and expand the movement in India for the inclusion of persons with Intellectual Disabilities. The athletes, who are the centre of the movement, must be able to experience a tangible transformation in their daily lives and our union must deliver them into a productive and accessible future"

National Sports Code

The Sports Code, or National Sports Development Code of India to be precise, was introduced in 2011 by the Central government, which wanted good governance practices in the management of sports federations at the national level without interfering in the autonomy of the national sports bodies.

The Sports code keeps national federations accountable and sets a standard for the smooth functioning of all such organizations. It has the sole aim to bring transparency and accountability to the functioning of national sports federations.