New Delhi, June 30: Adding the boys' 400 metre relay and bocce team event golds, India ended their superb campaign in the Special Olympics, with a tally of 110 medals including 34 golds, which concluded in Dublin, Ireland today.
The performance of the 83-member Indian squad bettered their tally of 104 medals, including 23 golds, won in the last edition held in 1999.
On the concluding day, India also won a silver in the girls 400m relay and the bocce team consisting of -- Mahaveer, Geeta Ashok and Sucheta -- outperformed athletes from five other countries to clinch the gold.
As the curtains came down on the nine-day spectacle, which saw thousands of mentally disabled athletes from all around the globe in action, India's medal tally read an impressive 34 gold, 36 sliver and 40 bronze medals from 11 events -- athletics, cycling, football, roller skating, badminton, table tennis, handball, volleyball, bocce, aquatics and basketball.
At a grand closing ceremony, the games were officially handed over to Japan, which will host the Special Olympics winter games in 2005 and China, where the next summer games will be held in 2007.
Irish President Mary Mcaleese officially closed the games and extinguished the 'flame of hope' - the Special Olympics torch - at Dublin's Croke Park Stadium.
It was the first time the games were held outside USA since it was founded 35 years ago by Eunice Kennedy-Shriver, the younger sister of John F Kennedy. Bureau Report