Differently abled athletes deserve better facilities

Harvinder Singh. Pic/AFP

Paris Paralympics gold medallist Harvinder Singh, an archer from Haryana, was in Mumbai recently to receive an award. He had won gold in the men's singles recurve event in Paris. He won a bronze medal in the 2021 Paralympics too.

Singh was cerebral at a meet with an audience in a south Mumbai hotel.

One of the points he made during the freewheeling talk was that the sporting landscape in India is moving towards equality when it comes to facilities though there is some work to be done. Indian para-athletes, when travelling abroad are witness to superior facilities, like specially designed buses and good, accessible rooms. They then start at some disadvantage as, mentally, this disparity affects them. They start thinking about the other athletes who have had access and trained in superior or better conditions. This is largely, though not always, the case.

Coming from a champion para-athlete, the best in the world at his event, these words are surely a call to action for our sporting authorities.

Let us look at improving facilities for our differently abled sportsmen and women, right from the grassroots level. This would be a huge morale booster and encourage them to stay in the game.

Start factoring in everyone at the inception stage, when coming up with a new facility. This will mainstream para-athletes into the sporting system and make for a more egalitarian sporting landscape.

Our para-athletes have brought us so much pride and joy, they have to struggle and overcome so much more than their abled counterparts. The least one can do for our champions is ensure they have quality washrooms, accessible showers and good grounds to train on. Their achievements must also be rewarded financially.

These measures will engender a sense of equality.