Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Mar 4: Soumya Devadiga from Mangaluru has been selected as the coach of India's floorball team for the ‘Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025’, scheduled to be held in Italy from March 8 to 15.
The floorball team comprises two players from Himachal Pradesh and three from Karnataka. The Special Olympics will feature eight sports, with Indian athletes participating in snowboarding, snowshoeing, alpine skating, cross-country, floorball, and figure skating.
The Indian contingent for the event will include 78 members, including coaches and athletes, according to Prakash J Shettigar, president of Special Olympics Bharat – Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada district, who announced the news during a press conference in Mangaluru.
Soumya, a resident of Chitrapura in Surathkal, is a teacher at the Lions Special School, Surathkal. This is her first opportunity as an international coach.
Recalling her journey, Soumya said, “In 2018, I served as a floor hockey coach for Kerala, where the team won a silver medal. In 2022, I coached at the national level for unified football, and one of my students, Likhitha from Lions Special School, won a bronze medal representing India in the USA. Unfortunately, I could not accompany the team to the USA due to passport-related delays. I have always had a keen interest in floorball and have been training children in the sport. It is a proud moment for me to be the first female coach from Mangaluru to represent India internationally in floorball.”
The event was also attended by Narayan Sherigar, secretary of Special Olympics Bharat – Karnataka, along with other dignitaries.