The South Zone Regional Abilympics 2025 came to a successful close at IIT Madras, as 14 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) were recognised for their exceptional performance.
Organised by the National Abilympic Association of India (NAAI) in collaboration with Sarthak Educational Trust, and supported by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Government of India, TPCDT, and IndusInd Bank, the event marked a major milestone in India's journey toward the 11th International Abilympics in Finland, 2027.
The two-day event brought together around 100 PwDs from across six southern states who participated in more than 30 vocational skills. Categories ranged from traditional trades to modern employment pathways. The medalists will now move on to compete at the National Abilympics 2025 in Delhi, scheduled for November which will serve as the final selection ground for India’s official delegation to the International Abilympics in Finland.
Among the Gold medal winners were Sathish who is Hearing impaired from Coimbatore for Cake Decoration, Yogaganpathy from Chennai for Cleaning Services, Parul from Bangalore who has Locomotor Disability for Massage Services, Swetha Kulkarni who is Hearing Impaired from Chennai for Painting & Decoration, and Harishanthan from Trichy who has Locomotor Disability for Photography (Studio).Yalini from Chennai in Cleaning Services, MOHAN E who also has Locomotor Disability won for Desktop Publishing, Rahul Kr Mahamalla from Chennai.
The Bronze medalists included P. Govindhan from Ayikudy(Tamil Nadu) for Basket Making who has Locomoto Disability, Lokesh V from Chennai who is hearing impaired for Character Design, Jaya Nandhana for Crochet, V. Murugan from Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) who has Locomotor Disability for Desktop Publishing, and Devarint Chandrashekar from Hyderabad for Painting & Decoration, he is Hearing impaired.
Dr. Jitender Aggarwal, Secretary-General of NAAI and Founder & CEO of Sarthak Educational Trust shared, “Abilympics India is not just a competition—it’s a national movement to rewrite the narrative around disability.It’s about unlocking potential, Day 1 of the South Zone Regional Abilympics 2025 was inaugurated by Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru R.N. Ravi, who lauded the initiative and emphasized the urgent need for skill development