Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF) is a nonprofit organization which aids people with disabilities to pursue sports while providing self-sustenance. AMF aims to help the Para athletes reach their potential in their chosen field of sports and have a self-sustaining life. Many disabled people who would otherwise have been great sports persons cannot pursue their choice of sport due to disabilities. AMF provides all support including equipment, coaching, financial aid, counseling etc. to help them pursue sports to instill independence, rehabilitate them and reinstall them into society.
“Our vision is to see a bright sporting career for people with disabilities.”
About the Founder
The founder of the organization, Aditya Mehta comes from a business family. He met with an unfortunate accident during which his right leg has been amputated below the knee. This changed the way he looked at life. To overcome the incident, he made cycling his passion and won two Silver medals in the Asian Para Cycling Championship. Aditya completed 100 km bicycling in 3hr 3min 40sec in 2015, making it the best time by far in Limca Book of Records. Aditya currently holds five Limca Records.
Our history
AMF was formalized in 2013. Within a short span of time, the foundation helped several para athletes with ample support. While keeping the overheads to the minimum, the foundation started to raise funds by involving people in sporting activities and helping them raise funds. Border Security Force(BSF) was the first paramilitary force to get associated with us and provide tremendous their support. AMF is now proudly associated with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and IndoTibetan Border Police Force (ITBP). AMF looks towards a bright future with Central Government supporting the organization. We are a Non-Profit organization with 80G Certificate (F.No. CIT(E)/50(6)/80G/2015-16)
Our work
In a short span, AMF successfully counselled 1000’s of officials from paramilitary forces and inspired more than quarter of them to take up sports. As a follow up to this, we conducted a National Divyaang Sports Training Camp twice in association with BSF, which was the first one of its kind for amputated persons of CAPF and other civilians. The participants were trained in various Para sports by National Champions. This helped them overcome their mental blockage and gave them a ray of hope. We plan to conduct similar training camps at least twice every year to train a larger number of Para athletes.
Our foundation organizes a signature ride every year, The Infinity Ride, which is the major fund raising event of ours. In 2015, we rode from Bangalore to Hyderabad with about 100 participants in association with Border Security Force. We ended this event on a grand scale with Shri Lokesh Nara and NTR Trust’s support. In 2016, it was a 10-day cycling expedition from Manali to Khardung la which saw a participation of more than a dozen amputees along with other riders. Among them were the Para cyclists from the National Training Camp. The riders were flagged off by Shri Acharya Dev Vrat, Governor Himachal Pradesh and flagged in by Shri Kiren Rijiju, MoS for Home Affairs. This event was held in association with Border Security Force and other CAPF. We were further supported by celebrities like Shriya Saran, Regina Cassandra, Rana Daggubati, Nani and many other Tollywood actors and actresses.
Some of our other highly appreciated rides are Dehradun to Mana Village flagged off by DGP, Uttarakhand, Shri A.K. Raturi, Shimla to Manali flagged off by DGP Himachal Pradesh Shri Mardi, IPS and flagged in by Shri Kiren Rijiju, MoS for Home Affairs, Attari to Delhi , flagged off by Shri V P Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab at Attari; Delhi to Mumbai , flagged off by Shri Kishan Pal Gurjar, MoS, Social Justice and Empowerment ; Bangalore to Hyderabad, flagged in by Shri Nara Lokesh, Cabinet Minister for Information & Technology A.P and Kashmir to Kanyakumari, flagged off by Shri P S Sandhu, I.G., BSF at Srinagar.
As a part of awareness program for the unique initiative AMF has set yet another challenge of creating a world record by 12 para-athletes scaling Mount Everest in year 2020. As part of the training for this, a team of climbers included 6 Para-Athletes with different levels of disability including 2 team AMF members Arshad and Aryavardhan – both above knee amputees from Telangana. who went through intense training and 4 of them scaled Mt. Bhageerathi (21365 ft) in August. The team has completed their training by climbing Mt.Bhagirathi II upto 18000ft as there was heavy snowfall beyond, in association with Aditya Mehta foundation and BSF Institute of Adventure And Advance training -BIAAT for PARA-MOUTAINEERING. Seventeen-year-old, Aryavardhan, is the youngest above knee amputee in the world to scale Mt. Bhagirathi. Aryavardhan had also lost his father at a very young age and is brought up by his mother a, strong single parent who has fought back from cancer.
Outreach so far
So far we have held 4 free National Level Training Camps where we have screened, counselled and trained more than 800 persons with disability in 26 different sports for them to get feel of sports. This is under the guidance of Para-coaches, Physiotherapists and Prosthetists. Through this we select capable beneficiaries and take them under the AMF wing to train them further to win medals for the country.
SUMMER PARA-SPORTS
- Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boccia
- Canoe
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football 5-a-side
- Goalball
- Judo
- Powerlifting
- Rowing
- Shooting Para sport
- Sitting volleyball
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Taekwondo
- Triathlon
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair tennis
WINTER PARA-SPORTS
- Alpine skiing
- Biathlon
- Cross-country skiing
- Para ice hockey
- Snowboard
- Wheelchair curling
For the first time in Asia, we have also held a Winter para-games in Auli, Uttarakhand where we introduced people with disabilities to the above 6 sports.
As of today, we have helped more than a 180 Para athletes with various equipment like wheelchairs, artificial limbs, etc. and also financial assistance to overcome their disabilities and live their life with dignity through sports. The Para athletes of the extended family of Aditya Mehta Foundation have so far won around 85 medals in various sports at Internationals some of which are at Para Badminton Championship in Peru, 5th Asian Para Cycling Championship, World Cycling Championship, Irish Para Badminton Championship & 6th Asian Para Cycling Championship. We have conducted about nine presentation and felicitation ceremonies to present the Para athletes with various orthotics and also to acknowledge their efforts. The number of lives that AMF has touched so far is innumerable.
Future aspects
With a team of these Para athletes who have World No.1 to 20 ranking and also others who have been shortlisted for training, we look forward to receiving world best ranking in Internationals and make India a super power in Paralympics 2024.
This would need every individual Para sports person to earn International points. Our organization has made plans to conduct training camps/ coaching sessions on a regular basis under National Champions in all 26 sports. We will make arrangements to send the Para athletes to International Training Camps, if any available. These Para athletes will need to get classifiers to distinguish their category of disability, which would cost a lot abroad. We will get them done here in India by physiotherapists and other doctors by getting certified classification courses. In addition, they would need specialized equipment for all these Para sports which would be expensive. We need basic equipment for every day practice purpose. These Para athletes would also need a special dietary plan for their fitness.
PARASPORTS ACADEMY AND REHABILITATION CENTRE
AMF launched the 1st Para-Sports Rehabilitation and Training Academy in Asia recently and it was inaugurated by the Dr. SK Joshi , IAS- Chief Secretary, Govt of Telangana.
The foundation will be training Divyaangans from across the nation including CAPF and civilians from basic level in 15 para-sports in the Academy: Para Cycling, Para Archery, Para Shooting, Para skating, Para power lifting, Rowing and Canoeing, Para judo, Para Badminton, Para boccia, Para table tennis, Para volley ball, Para triathlon, Para Athletics, Para Swimming.
The Academy is situated in Begumpet, the heart of Hyderabad on a 5,000 square yard area provided by the Joint Managing Trustee, Mr. J. K. Mehta with most of the equipment for each para-sport at the Academy. The Academy is a charitable trust where the person with disabilities will be provided with rehabilitation followed by screening for the para-sports. Thereafter they will be provided accommodation and food along with the basics to professional para-sports training at the boarding Academy.
Events Hosted till date
- Solidarity Run and Ride 1st December, Hyderabad
- Infinity Ride 2019- 16th to 23rd, August, Dehradun to Mana Pass
- National Training Camp, Gujarat, June, 2019
- Winter Para- Games, January 2019
- 9th presentation Ceremony, September 2018
- 8th presentation Ceremony, 2018
- Infinity Ride 2018- 9th to 15th, August, Shimla-Manali
- Prelude to Infinity Ride in Gujarat, July , 2018
- 10 Roadshows to promote Prelude, July, 2018
- NATIONAL TRAINING CAMP – July 2018 – Bangalore, Karnataka
- Martyr’s Ride 2017 – 20th to 26th Nov 2017
- 7th presentation Ceremony- 22nd October 2017
- Infinity Ride 2017 – 5th August- 15th August, 2017
- NATIONAL TRAINING CAMP – July 2017 – Bangalore, Karnataka.
- 6th Presentation Ceremony – 5th June, 2017
- 5th Presentation Ceremony – 13th November, 2016
- Infinity Ride 2016 – 5th August- 15th August, 2016
- National Training Camp – Panchkula, Chandigarh – 6th July – 10th July, 2016
- Irish Para Badminton Internationals felicitation – 30th June, 2016
- 4th Presentation Ceremony – 26th May, 2016
- Prelude Ride for Infinity Ride 2016 – 13th March, 2016
- Curtain Raiser – 14th Dec – 20th Dec, 2016
- 3rd Presentation Ceremony – 29th Sept, 2015
- Infinity Ride 2015 – 12th August- 15th August, 2015
- 2nd Presentation Ceremony – 27th April, 2015
- 1st Presentation Ceremony – 25th October 2014
- Solidarity ride Manali – Khardung la – Aug 2014