Ghaziabad II in Panchkula: Para-athletes put up in ‘stable-like place’

PANCHKULA: In virtually a rerun of Ghaziabad horror in 2015, several para-athletes, managers and coaches of different states have alleged insensitivity towards the players by the organizers of the 18th National Para Athletics Championship and red-flagged the issue of providing improper accommodation by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).
A record 1,400 para-athletes are taking part in the fiveday meet that began at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on Monday. Their complaints ranged from washrooms having doors too narrow for the wheelchair to enter to poor drinking water facilities and several players being forced to share a small room.


The wheelchair-bound athletes were the worst-hit. “They (the organizers) are making us stay on the ground floor and the washrooms are on the first floor. We are wheelchair-bound and have had to drag ourselves up the stairs since there are no ramps. That’s why I had to go out of the building in the bushes,” said Sunil, a para-athlete from Bihar.

Another player from Karnataka said, “The problems faced by the athletes here are due to mismanagement.”

Gujarat contingent rejects PCI’s accommodation

Para-athletes from Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra were particularly vocal about the lack of facilities.

Medal-winning Indian para-athlete Suvarna Raj, who raised her voice about the mediocre facilities on Sunday, said, “The officials have been vindictive towards me since morning... I was not allowed to participate.”

Other para-athletes had similar experiences to share. “How can I use the toilet? A wheelchair cannot go inside. The authorities should have made proper arrangements. The rooms where we have been put up are not in good condition and there is no proper drinking water facility. People are scared to raise their voice because their sporting careers are on the line,” said an athlete.

Interestingly, the entire contingent from Gujarat has declined the PCI accommodation. “When we came here, I was shocked by the kind of accommodation provided to us. So, I decided it’s better to pay from my own pocket than leave my athletes in a place that looks like a stable,” said Dilip Shukla, the manager of Gujarat team.

TOI visited the newly-constructed multipurpose hall at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium and saw 600 female para-athletes somehow squeezed into one big hall. Six to seven para-athletes were sharing one small room.

An athlete told TOI that they had been asked not to talk to the media. “Sab dare hue hai, koi aapse khul ke baat nahi karega, bahut halt kharab hai yahaan (Everyone is scared, no one will talk to you, the facilities are very poor here).”

“After the horror show in Ghaziabad, the federation was dissolved. A new body has been formed. Still the athletes have been ill-treated. Now what will they do, scrap this federation also,” he asked.

Dinesh Upadhay, the treasurer of PCI, termed the accusations false. “People like Suvarna have a tendency of cribbing. Yes, I accept that the Ghaziabad meet was a nightmare, but I cannot see any kind of mismanagement here.If any shortcomings are found and if we receive any complaint, we try to address them as soon as possible.” He added: “It’s because of the efforts of the PCI, the para-athletes are getting jobs in their respective states. We are winning medals at the international level.”

Silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Deepa Malik agreed with the PCI view, saying “Apart from fivestar hotels, tell me is there any place that is comfortable for specially-abled athletes in India? It is very easy to nitpick and look for faults."

Surrender Singh, an executive member of the Haryana Paralympic Committee and one of the organizers said, “Rs 80 lakh has been given by the Haryana government for the meet . Rs 85,000 is being used on transportation alone on a daily basis. Wheelchairbound athletes have been provided separate transport services.”

“The sum of Rs 5000-6000 being sought from the athletes by the PCI is a fee that a player has to pay to renew their annual licence,” he added.

Ashok Khemka, principal secretary in the department of sports and youth affairs in Haryana government, said, “Our job is to give funds and a place where the national meet can be organized. On our part, we have done our job. We are not organizing the event, and if there is a problem then one should ask questions from Rao Inderjit Singh (the president of PCI) not the Haryana government.”