CHENNAI: The sun was beating down on the blue track relentlessly. If not for occasional spurts of cool breeze across the JN Stadium in Chennai, the temperature would have reached summer heights. Some of the para-athletes were warming up outside while a bunch of them were competing at the National para-athletics meet here on Wednesday. They were oblivious about their afflictions and were lost in their own world of sport. For some this acts as a balm while for others it's an outlet of their emotions. There were a bunch of Paris Paralympic medallists like Navdeep Singh, Hokato Sema lighting up the show.
On the sidelines of the event was a sprinkling of guests. Devendra Jhajharia, president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), was one among them. Since he took over from Deepa Malik last year, the Indian para-athletes have been performing well, reaching their zenith during the Paris Paralympics last year. India came back with a record medal haul of 29 medals — seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze. This was better than Tokyo where they managed 19. If the Rio Paralympics was considered a watershed moment, then Paris was a culmination of years of toil and hardwork, ably supported by the sports ministry. If the Olympics was not up to the mark, then Paralympics at least led to some success.
Incidentally, it was Rio where Jhajharia clinched his second javelin gold and went on to become one of the most decorated Paralympians when he won silver in Tokyo.
Jhajharia too is aware of what they had achieved in Paris. “The Rio Olympics was a big moment but when one considers the historic Paris medal haul, it was a moment for the world because the entire world never believed that we would win 29 medals. If Rio was the moment for India, Paris was the moment for the world,” he said, adding, this was possible because of the government support.
If earlier, paralympians were struggling for money, things have changed considerably. The introduction of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme gave them some sort of financial security as well. “Around 80 per cent of our para-athletes come from the rural areas. They are not from an economically sound background. The TOPS is a scheme that is helping the athletes not just with their training needs but the stipend of `50,000 is also helping them to take care of the family,” he said, adding, “Now the para-athletes can choose where they want to train whether in India or abroad.”
The PCI chief also feels that taking care of the grassroots is critical and right now their focus is to facilitate training for the youngsters. It is not easy because parents usually are not confident to leave their children alone with coaches even when they are 14-15 years of age. “We have to take training to the grassroots because sometimes parents are not confident to leave their children alone,” he said. “There are programmes to address this as well. We are providing facilities there so that by 2028, 2032, 2036 and beyond we will be able to win more medals for the country. We have to concentrate on 15-16 year old players so that they give us results in the next 10-15 years. But we have to work now.”
Motivating parents is not easy but Jhajharia felt that if results come then it gets easier. “We tell the parents that results are coming and the player will do well and eventually will get a job or can earn some money. We have to tell them they can play for India. Parents usually agree after that,” he said.
One issue most para-athletes face is that stadiums are not built for them. In some there are issues ranging from accessibility to lack of PWD-friendly toilets. The PCI chief acknowledged that this is an issue and they had been discussing with various stakeholders but in the last five years or so there have been some changes. “In the last five years things have changed and there is an effort to make every ground para-friendly (both indoor and outdoor),” he said. “All stakeholders need to know what kind of facilities para-athletes require in a stadium and we have to work more on this especially in state and local level grounds. If we manage this, then para-players in small places can go and train at any ground.”
The challenges in PCI are many because there are different classifications for athletes. “Sometimes there are complaints and we need to resolve them; categories are also important but we have to make the environment conducive for athletes,” he said. For now India would be looking to host some world class events in the next few months.
Results (winners only): Men: Shot put: F53: Sumit (Har) 6.89m; F55: Muthuraja Karaiyalan (TN) 10.67m; javelin throw: F53: Sumit (Har) 17.15m. Shot put: F57: Soman Rana (Bhr) 14.42m; long jump: T37: Ramsungi Thakor (Guj) 5.15m. Women: 400m: T13: Geeta Mahto (Del) 1:11.89s; T37: Harshita Tater (Kar) 1:36.09; T20: Deepthi Jeevangji (TS) 57.85s. Discus: F37: Priyanka (Raj) 20.63m; F40: Akutai Sitaram Ulbhagat (Mah) 15.63; F57: Suman Bala (Har) 19.76m. Shot put: F40: Akutai Sitaram Ulbhagat (Mah) 5.85m.