The 7^th All India Transplant  Games held at Lucknow  on February  17^th & 18^th reaffirmed the success of organ transplantation once again and become a special occasion where transplant recipients and donors from all over India came together to celebrate life!

The games were organized by the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) at the K.D. Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow under the auspices of the All India Transplant Games Federation.

According to the chairman of the Federation, Dr. R.V.S. Yadav and the organizing Secretary Dr. Anant Kumar, Head of the Dept. of Urology, SGPGIMS, the games brought into focus the fact that transplant recipients could lead a healthy, fulfilling life. A transplant in fact, gives a person with organ failure the chance to live life to its fullest. The Games also acted as a platform to bring to the notice of the government that there should be no discrimination vis-à-vis employment, post-transplant medication (it should continue to be on the life saving drug list and be exempt from tax). It was also a meeting ground for recipients and donors to get together and discuss mutual problems. It was also an opportunity to emphasize the need for organ donation and to explain the concept of brain death. The games which began on February 17^th were inaugurated by Maurice Slapak, President of the World Transplant Games Federation and a famous transplant surgeon from the U.K. An organ donation awareness walk was also organized in which 500 school children, transplant recipients, donor and 200 members of the public participated. A number of banners showing various aspects of brain death and organ transplantation were displayed. And then it was time for the actual games to begin! There was the 100, 200 and 400 m sprint, 400, 1000 and 5000 m walk, long jump, javelin throw, shot put, badminton, table tennis and of course, some fun games. The participants were divided into recipient and donor groups with further subgroups according to age. But all of them, irrespective of which category they were in participated with undiminished enthusiasm. Inspector Arjun Singh won the best athlete award in the Men’s organ recipient 40-plus category. He had won the president’s medal in1986 for his distinguished services. He had a kidney transplant from his sister in 1999. In the Men’s organ recipient below 40 categories, A.K. Rai won the award. Namita and Madhu Yadav won the awards in women’s 40 plus and below 40 categories respectively. Among the donors, Alok Singh was the overall champion, while Kokila Chunara won the trophy in the women’s category. But all of them who were there and who took part in the Transplant Games were Winners, in the truest sense of the word.