JOIN USCentral government has limited grants for para sports: Gursharan Singh
The controversy-marred National Paralympic Championships, held in Bengaluru recently, attracted a lot of flak directed at Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), but its Secretary General, Gursharan Singh, believes that a fine show by the Indian contingent at the Tokyo bash will prove the naysayers wrong.
With the Paralympics scheduled to take place from August 24 to September 5, Singh had stated last year that athletes, shooters, shuttlers and archers together were capable of winning 15 medals.
This ambitious number, however, is seen with scepticism given that the state of affairs within the country during para events are nowhere near world-class. Speaking to DH's Hita Prakash, Singh tried to clear the air, especially about the recently-concluded event which made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Why were the National Championships last week first considered a trials for Tokyo Paralympics and then not?
They were trials for the Tokyo Paralympic Games as the athletes who performed well at the event will be selected to participate in various international competitions to attain world ranking and obtain a Paralympic quota.
If there were no direct qualifications, what was the hurry to organise the event, especially when there was little time after venue change?
Their performances here provide them job opportunities, awards and other certifications. We had to conduct it as we were worried about athletes missing out on such benefits this year too as 2020 has already been tough for everybody.
What is the allocation of grants from the government?
Unfortunately, the Central Government has limited grants for para sports. We get Rs 12 lakh to conduct national events (junior & senior) and Rs 22 lakh including Sub-juniors. However, last week’s expenses alone crossed Rs 1 crore. To bridge the gap between allocation and expenditure we depend on sponsors, donations and CSR funds. In 2020-2021 PCI received Rs 10 crore (for athletics, swimming, power-lifting, shooting and to some extent badminton) compared to Rs 30-40 crore allotted to the Athletics Federation of India.
Accessibility remains an issue, how many stadiums are para-friendly in India?
In Karnataka, Sree Kanteerava Stadium is accessible to para athletes. Gandhinagar stadium is completely para-friendly and three new stadiums are coming up across the country along the same lines. Every state is formulating policies. We coordinate with state associations with accessibility guidelines, manuals and assistance if required.
The recent event garnered a lot of criticism...
We provided accommodation, food and transportation to every participant and their support staff even if our circular said otherwise. There were no positive cases reported among 1500-plus random tests done. The event was a success, considering the fact that we held it in such unprecedented times.