It would be nice if sports lovers put this article on their Facebook and Twitter accounts It’s anyway quite tough for the Indian para-athletes to take up sport and excel in it. The hurdles become all the more insurmountable when self-serving administrators step into the picture. file photo http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sport/para-athletes-left-in-the-lurch/74284.html Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service Chandigarh, April 29 The latest in the series of bad news for para-athletes is that the first Indian Open Para Games 2015 have been officially postponed. The complete halt on national and international para-events is going to hit the budding athletes the hardest. Since all competitions have been put on hold, it deprives the new crop of athletes a platform where they can perform and qualify for an international licence which makes them eligible for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janerio. August-end is the deadline to acquire an international licence for these para-athletes. Veteran para-athletes say that the fresh talent which emerged in the Ghaziabad Nationals has been virtually robbed of a shot at the 2016 event. Powerlifter Rajinder Singh Rahelu, bronze medallist at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, said, “The PCI ban is not a new thing. It keeps happening every now and then. The important thing is that it has broken the morale of budding players. They are completely disheartened. Being a coach as well, I get numerous calls every day from para-athletes who are wary of their future. One must not forget that sport for them is not just about self-pride, for a majority of them it is a source of sustenance also.” Arjuna awardee (athletics) Deepa Malik, a paraplegic, is severely critical of the corporates shirking their social responsibilities. “For para-athletes, the corporate social responsibility is just a sham. Apart from one or two big business houses, no one is interested in supporting us. It’s not as if we are asking for charity. The medals para-athletes win in international events contribute in lifting the nation’s pride.” The 44-year-old athlete is also critical of the media in covering para events. She said that the mismanagement at the Ghaziabad Nationals came to light just because it was near Delhi and therefore it drew media’s attention. “Otherwise, this is nothing new. The state of affairs is more or less the same. You go to any state or any event big or small. The attitude towards para-athletes is lackadaisical.” Discus thrower Amit Kumar Saroha, who is a para-athletics coach with the Haryana Sports Department, said, “Things are slightly better in Haryana. The state government’s sports policy is sympathetic towards para-athletes. But a lot needs to be done so that para-athletes as well as special people in the society lead a normal life.” The fact that the country does not have a single specialised facility for para-athletes speaks volumes about the attitude of the Indian society while dealing with differently-abled persons. One such state-of-the-art centre for excellence for disability sports has been proposed in Zirakpur, Punjab. On paper, it was supposed to be ready in 2016 but in reality, it remains just an idea whose time has still not come. The state government had pledged 11 acres of land in Zirakpur for the centre. The institute was a joint initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Disability Affairs and the Punjab Government. There are at least 40 international players and two Paralympians, one of them a bronze medallist at the 2004 Athens Games, who are registered with the Paralympic Committee of Punjab. Yet, several athletes assert that there is not a single disabled-friendly stadium in the state. Finally, Punjab’s sport -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
