Sports

Samarthanam’s dedication to the promotion of sports for the physically disadvantaged has made it a pioneer in the development of blind cricket in India. Samarthanam’s Sports Wing also focuses on several other sports like chess, volleyball, tennis, Kabaddi, table tennis and athletics. 

Our coaches identify and train students and staff, conduct camps and encourage participation in national and international events. Samarthanam has supported this initiative over the last decade, both as a rightful pursuit of the disadvantaged and as a platform for their physical and social development. 

Cricket

The sights and sounds, the grass and glory of cricket have captured the imagination of many a young Indian mind, inciting deep passions to compete, excel and ultimately succeed. Samarthanam believes that the visually impaired too need to be afforded an equal opportunity to be a part of this dream. 

There has been regular representation of our cricketers in the National Blind Cricket team including the three world cup tournaments that were played in 1998, 2002 and 2006 and tours to Pakistan and England in 2004 & 2007. 

The Karnataka Blind Cricket team that has won the National Tournament several times owes a huge part of its success to contributions from our cricketers. Karnataka won 9 of the 16 Nationals in which we had significant participation. 

Recently, Crincifo, the major cricketing website signed up with Samarthanam to support its efforts to promote blind cricket in the state.

In place of the ACBI, starting in 2011, Samarthanam will run the Cricket Association for the Blind in India. This is a huge step towards taking the sport forward and reaching out to more and more visually impaired cricketers across the nation. 

Recent Tournaments:

India vs. England 2010

A 4 match one day cricket series between India and England was organized by the Blind cricket board of England and Wales, between 10th and 14th of August. 2010. Samarthanam took the initiative to send the Indian blind cricketers to England to play this series. 

Before selecting the Indian team, Samarthanam conducted a national tournament for four zonal teams and picked 30 probables. A conditioning camp was held in Bangalore for ten days in the month of June after which the final 14 were selected. Samarthanam also conducted a coaching camp from July 25th to 5th August 2010. 

The Indian team won the series 3-0, routing their opponents. The fourth match was abandoned due to rain. 

The team has also attended the Independence Day celebration on 15th August at the Indian Gymkhana, London and was felicitated by the Indian High Commission in front of a huge crowd. 

Drishti Cup 2010-11

The Dristhti Cup was a three match series played in Hubli, Dharwad and Gadag towns of North Karnataka on 7th, 8th and 9th December, 2010, between visually impaired teams from Karnataka and Kerala. Samarthanam was supported by the Lions club of Hubli and Life Insurance Corporation who were the main sponsors for the event. The Karnataka team, which had several players from Samarthanam, won easily, beating Kerala 3-0.

South Zone Competition 2010

The South Zone cricket tournament for the blind was held in Chennai between 28th and 30th December, 2010. Samarthaan cricketers played for the Karnataka team which unfortunately lost to TN, Kerala and the eventual champions Andhra Pradesh. 

Nationals 2010

At the 2010 Interstate cricket tournament for the blind held in Mumbai, Karnataka beat Gujarat in the finals and lifted the trophy!  

Other Sports

The Samarthanam athletics team participates in events organized at the city, state, national and international level. The team has won many laurels and accolades at these events. Samarthanam also conducts a state level athletics tournament in Bangalore every year which draws 350-400 participants. 

Recently, our athletes competed in the 17th National Sports Meet for the Blind, held at Chandigarh between 26th and 29th December, 2010. This was a huge event in which 62 organizations from across the country took part. 

Samarthanam’s junior athletes bagged two gold and 1 silver medal and the senior athletes won 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. 

Samarthanam’s visually impaired chess players have participated in several national events. In 2009, Samarthanam conducted an event in Bengaluru that involved 150 competitors from all over the country. 

The Samarthanam march past group has taken part in Bengaluru’s Independence Day and Republic Day parades for the last 10 years and has won prizes in the disabled category every single time!