CHENNAI: Visually impaired judokas are in search of a black cat in the darkness! Ten of them have qualified for the world championship for blind to be held in Turkey from April 19. But due to shortage of funds and no government support, their participation is uncertain.
The 10 were selected on the basis of performance in the national judo championship for the blind, where Tamil Nadu clinched eight gold medals. For these judokas to take part in the event in the Turkish city of Antalya, expenses will come to approximately Rs 1.1 lakh per head, including travel and lodging.
Although the Indian Blind and Para Judo Association does not have enough funds, it’s not giving up. “We won’t let their hard work go in vain. We sent details of the players to the government a week ago. If there is no confirmation in two weeks, we will meet the sports minister,” said Munawar Anzar, association secretary.
Anzar informed that lack of government funding has led to cancellation of plans in the past. “For the Asian championship in Uzbekistan last year, we had submitted all documents. But just two days before the event, the government rejected our proposal,” Anzar said.
Participation in the world championship is important because performance there is likely to result in selection for 2020 Paralympics. That’s the dream national gold medallist J Manoharan is nurturing. For it to materialise, he has to depend on government support or private sponsors. An NGO called ‘Lit the Light’ helped them in the past and they are hoping for something similar.
Due to circumstances, Manoharan, Poongavanam, M Muthulakshmi, M Susheela and Maheswari — the five from Tamil Nadu in the national squad — are not sure if they will actually make it to Turkey. Even here, there is no government funding, although they are allowed to use Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s training facilities.
nithin.k@newindianexpress.com