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28 Nov 2024

VMT Ex-Student Govind Chaudhary Wins Gujarat’s 1st International Medal in Boccia, a Paralympic Sport

Govind Chaudhary, an orthopedically disabled ex-student of Vidyamandir has become Gujarat's first international medalist in the Paralympic sport Boccia. He secured the bronze medal at the recent 2024 International Boccia Tournament in Cairo, Egypt.

Boccia is a variant of the French game boules (a form of bowling), with roots in ancient Greece. It is designed for athletes with special types of physical disabilities and neurological conditions. The players, usually in wheelchairs, use hands, feet or assistive devices such as ramps to deliver the leather balls which are filled with plastic granules. Boccia is the only Paralympic sport other than goalball that has no equivalent event in the Olympics. Though it is one of the 22 disciplines in which athletes compete in the Paralympics, the Indian team takes part in only nine, and Boccia is not among them.

Govind had to overcome enormous challenges and adversity on this road to international success. A symbol of resilience and determination, he, under the expert guidance of coach Nileshbhai Rabari, clinched gold at the 2023 and 2024 National Boccia Tournaments.

After these successes he participated in the international event at Cairo and making his mark at the global level for the first time.