Indian women's hockey team celebrates Olympic Day with NGO kids

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 24: The Indian Women's Hockey Team met with kids from the Bhumi NGO at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru to honour the 75th Olympic Day and emphasise the importance of diversity and inclusivity in sport.

The Indian Team invited the children of Sishu Mandir, one of the 30 shelter houses with which Bhumi NGO works, to an Olympic Day outing. This exercise allowed the youngsters to interact with the Indian Team, some of whom came from humble backgrounds and tried to demonstrate to the children that sports can become a way of life.

The Sishu Mandir kids carried out a unicycle performance to express their appreciation to the Indian players for inviting them and even assisted the senior player in trying out a unicycle. Following that, the Indian players taught the kids the basics of hockey, had a photography session, and treated them before sending them home.

"It was a great experience to meet the Indian Women's Hockey Team, we got to see the passion that drives them to do well for our country firsthand," Padma, a Sishu Mandir student, said of the visit, before adding, "We had a terrific time learning hockey from them as well. Being on the field and handling the hockey stick was an entirely new sensation for me; I had never dared to fantasise about something like this."

"We were overwhelmed to meet the children from Shishu Mandir, and their special performance with the unicycle is something we had never witnessed before," said Indian Women's Hockey Team Captain Savita.

"As players, it is our responsibility to make hockey accessible to all and to promote Olympic values. It was great to spend the day with the youngsters and perhaps inspire them," Savita signed off.