New Delhi, 5 July 2023: Usha International, recently launched its Disc Grant Program, an initiative that will provide world-class flying discs across India to spread the sport of Ultimate and its benefits. Ultimate as the sport is commonly known, is a self-refereed, non-contact team sport played mainly in a mixed-gender format in India. Usha’s endeavor is to popularise this game and take it to children across every district, city, and state in the country, especially in underserved areas. This initiative aligns with Usha’s broader ‘Play’ vision, which aims to foster an active and healthy lifestyle by empowering communities and promoting inclusivity through sports and games. The company is actively seeking partnerships across India to collaborate and identify areas where the Disc Grant can have a transformational impact on children and youth. (To know more about how you can be a beneficiary of the Disc Grant click here).
To begin with, a pilot program was run in the Delhi-NCR area with Y-Ultimate, an NGO on board as the selection consultant. Through this pilot, summer camps were held for children from vulnerable socioeconomic backgrounds across Delhi-NCR aimed at inculcating personal growth and life skills. During these camps, the children and youth learned the intricacies of the game played using the disc (or a frisbee), along with on-ground lessons in non-violent conflict resolution, respectful communication, self-regulation, and gender sensitivity.
Commenting on the initiative, Ms. Komal Mehra, Head of Sports Initiatives and Associations at Usha International, said, “We, at Usha, realized the lack of high-quality discs was hindering the growth of this otherwise accessible and inclusive sport that transcends barriers of gender, race, caste, and socioeconomic background and hence we launched the Disc Grant Program. We want to grow this into a pan-India phenomenon impacting and influencing thousands of young people who will benefit physically, emotionally, and psychologically as they engage actively to learn the game of ultimate.”
In the pilot, 150 competition-quality flying discs manufactured by Discraft, USA, were distributed in the camps organized by Y-Ultimate in Darya Ganj, Hathi Basti, Keshavpuram, Kirti Nagar, Kishan Garh, Mayur Vihar, Noida, Pushp Vihar, Sangam Vihar, Sanjay Colony, Shakhur Basti, Seemapuri, Sultanpuri, and Tughlakabad and benefitting 700 children.
Benoy Stephen, Co-Founder of Y-Ultimate, the first beneficiary of the grant, added, “Our mission at Y-Ultimate is to impart life skills education to children, especially those belonging to the lower socio-economic backgrounds through the fun sport of Ultimate Frisbee. It’s a privilege to have the support of USHA in embarking on this mission. As we strive to reach more children and develop them through the sport of ultimate frisbee, Usha Play’s Disc Grant program is an enormous support to give us the much-needed equipment, the best quality discs in the world. We look forward to this partnership as a starting step to take the benefits of the sport all across India.”
Usha supports and promotes a wide array of inclusive sporting initiatives across the country, including its association with the Mumbai Indians franchisee, Ultimate Flying Disc, Golf, cricket for the specially-abled, sports for the visually challenged (athletics, kabaddi, judo, and powerlifting) as well as indigenous Indian regional sports such as Kalari, Mallakhamb, Siat Khnam, Thang-Ta, Saz-Loung, Satoliya (popularly known as Pithu), etc.
