Hyderabad, 23rd April 2025: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), in association with Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF), is organising the National Talent Identification Hunt and Training Camp for Para-Athletes from 23^rd April to 28^th April 2025 at JNV Ranga Reddy Campus, HCU Road, Gachibowli.

Chief Guest Ms. Shilpa Reddy, Trustee, AMF, Mrs. India, Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur, Holistic Lifestyle Influencer; inaugurated the National Parasports Talent Identification Hunt & Training Camp, today at JNV Ranga Reddy Campus. Guest of Honour Sri T. Gopalakrishna, Deputy Commissioner, NVSRO Hyderabad Sri R. Nagabhushanam, Asst. Commissioner, NVSRO; Sri. Aditya Mehta, Founder, Aditya Mehta Foundation; also graced the occasion. The camp aims to unearth budding talent for the Paralympics 2028, Commonwealth Games 2026 and Asian Games 2026.

Ms. Shilpa Reddy said, I have been associated with Aditya Mehta Foundation for the last twelve years. AMF in collaboration with the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, has taken the responsibility of organising this Camp with love, care and strong vision. We have come together to give our young talented athletes the best  experience possible. This initiative has grown so much over the years, every year we see new champions emerging from here and everyone who comes here leaves with beautiful memory, even if they don’t get selected for the final group. We do our best to select as many students as we can, though there are limited number of spaces. In our view everyone is a champion. I am really dumbstruck with the commitment and dedication you guys have for the sport you adopted. We are incredibly proud of our journey so far, more than 10,000 para-athletes have been screened, trained, counselled under this initiative and 3500 children with special needs from Navodaya Vidyalaya alone were screened, counselled and trained over the years. AMF athletes have won more than 300 international medals, even abroad. This year, we have Youth Asian Games 2025; followed by Asian Games 2026; these are not just milestones, but important steps that contribute to the selection process of the para-athletes for the Paralympics 2028. Our aim is very realistic and focussed to support and prepare as many athletes as possible to represent India at the Paralympics 2028.

Speaking on the occasion Sri T. Gopalakrishna said, it’s AMF’s 9th Talent Identification Hunt camp, and we at NVS have been proud partners of this meaningful initiative for the past 4 years. This initiative started as an idea, mainly we looked at it from the point of view of building resilience, confidence and the inclusiveness of all these children. AMF was very clear that if these children are trained for an year or more, they are going to find their places on national and international platforms and that has become a reality today. Hundreds of children have been trained at JNV Ranga Reddy Campus, which I consider as the heart of para athlete training, It is today the Centre of Excellence for para sports. Aditya Mehta Foundation and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti are able to bring hundreds of para-athletes on the same platform and are standing as a beacon of hope for the para-athletes in the entire country. This year alone 142 medal were won by NVS children with the support of AMF and are coming out with flying colours. Our aim is to make a mark at the Paralympics 2028 on behalf of India.    

This unique initiative aims to scout and nurture para–athletic talent from the grassroots level, offering Children with Special Needs (CwSN) and differently – abled youth the opportunity to explore their sporting potential under expert guidance in parasports. The week-long Camp will conduct Talent Identification Trials; Basic Para-sports Training Sessions, Motivational Interactions with National and International Para-Athletes and Counselling Sessions for Students and Teachers, says Sri. Aditya Mehta, Founder, Aditya Mehta Foundation.

Out of 1000 online-screened applicants, 300 individuals from Hyderabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Pune, Patna, Lucknow, Shillong shortlisted for further trials and basic training at this camp. The most promising talents will be mentored by Aditya Mehta Foundation’s Infinity Parasports Academy in Hyderabad and given opportunities to represent their states and the nation at major national and international platforms, says Aditya Mehta.

The program is designed to identify and nurture their abilities, ultimately grouping them into specific parasports based on their individual disability levels and strengths. Throughout the camp, participants will explore a range of parasports and will be counselled and screened for 29 parasports. The structured training sessions is aimed to discover hidden talents and inspire children to pursue excellence in parasports.