There is more cricket in the city. The first ‘Special Olympics International Cricket Cup (SOICC), 2006, will be held in Mumbai from November 6 to 10. The event will see participation from mentally-challenged players from countries across the world. On Sunday, 15-member teams along with their coaches from countries like Afghanistan, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and West Indies arrived at St Xavier’s College for a free health check-up, prior to the match which begins on Monday. It is a first for not only for players but also for doctors, optometrists, dentists and physiotherapists from across the city, who volunteered to undertake the camp.

“The participants are aged between 15 and 40. We have noticed that most of the participants with such disabilities often suffer from vision problems. Therefore this check-up is necessary,” said Rajeev Prasad, Regional Healthy Athletes Co-ordinator, Asia-Pacific. Doctors from Adityajyot Eye Hospital, Lotus Eye Care Hospital and SNDT Department of Opthalmology had devised special tests to check the vision of the participating athletes.

“These players  sometimes have a history of epilepsy in their childhood, which could lead to swelling of the gums. It is therefore important to teach them the basics of brushing teeth in the right manner,” said Santosh Ravindran, dentist, in charge of the check-up.

For the interns from DY Patil Dental College, interacting with the participants from different countries was a unique experience.

“The team from Pakistan was very warm and friendly. They invited us to their country and even offered to take us for sight-seeing,” said Akshata Prabhu, intern from DY Patil Dental College.

‘Special Olympics’ organises year-round sports training and athletic competitions for more than 2.25 million children and adults with disabilities in more than 160 countries, thus providing people with intellectual disabilities opportunities to realise their potential. SOICC 2006 will mark the official launch of cricket as a sport for Special Olympics globally.

The opening ceremony and an exhibition match between Special Olympics participants will be conducted on Monday at the Police Gymkhana. All the matches are open for public.