Special Olympics team: Kashmiri woman to play table tennis

Mehwish Iftikhar is hearing impaired and has development disabilities.

MIRPUR:

AJK-born table tennis player Mehwish Iftikhar had been selected for the Special Olympics, commencing in Athens from July 24 this year, it was officially declared. Mehwish, a resident of remote Panjaira village in Kotli District, is a student at Kashmir Institute of Special Education (KISE), Mirpur. She is hearing impaired and has developmental disabilities.

KISE Director Dr Amjad Insari told APP here on Thursday that Mehwish was a gold-medal winning tennis star who was awarded with a medal in the acknowledgment of her outstanding performance in the National Special Olympics held in Lahore this year. “Mehwish has been selected as a member of the Pakistani contingent of special players for the Special Olympics Summer Games being played in Athens from July 24,” he said.

Dr Insari said the Pakistani team comprised of 59 players and 30 officials who will fly out from Islamabad for Athens on July 19. The Pakistani entourage will take part in eight different sports including football, table tennis, basketball, athletes, swimming, badminton and boo-chi, he added.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2011.