Sowmya Devadiga from Mangaluru selected as Indian floorball team coach for Special Olympics

Sowmya Devadiga from Mangaluru selected as Indian floorball team coach for Special Olympics

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, March 4, 2025: Sowmya Devadiga, a teacher at Lions Special School, Surathkal, has been selected as the coach of the eight-member Indian floorball team for the Special Olympics World Winter Games Turil 2025, scheduled to take place in Turin, Italy, from March 8 to 15.

"It was a proud moment when I was addressed as the Karnataka coach during the national selection camp. Now, at the international event, I will be representing India as a coach, which is an even greater honour," she told reporters.

Expressing her gratitude to the school management for their support, she said, "They ensured that I could travel by flight by arranging tickets for the national selection camps. I also received immense support from Amarendra, area director of Special Olympics Bharat Karnataka. One of our students was selected for the national camp, but unfortunately, she couldn’t make it to the final team due to age criteria."

Sowmya will be traveling to Delhi on Tuesday before heading to Italy on March 6.

Explaining the selection process, she said that teams from every state initially participated, from which 26 athletes and 17 coaches, including escorts, were shortlisted. The next phase was held in Gwalior, where five coaches and 15 students were selected. Finally, during a 12-day camp in Chandigarh, the final team was chosen—comprising eight athletes and three coaches, including two from Himachal Pradesh.

Sowmya, a former kabaddi player, initially taught at a regular school. However, after joining the special school, she began accompanying special children to district-level sports meets. Over time, she developed a passion for floorball, a sport similar to hockey.

Special Olympics Bharat Karnataka DK Unit President Prakash J Shettigar stated that the Special Olympics World Winter Games will feature over 1,500 athletes from 102 countries, competing across eight sports. The event will also host 1,000 coaches, 2,000 volunteers, and nearly one lakh spectators.

The competitions will include snowboarding, snowshoeing, alpine skating, cross-country skiing, floorball, and figure skating. India will be represented by a 78-member contingent at the Games.

State Sports Director of SPecial Olympics Narayana Sherigar urged the government to support the Special Olympics by allocating a dedicated budget for the athletes.