‘We’ve made place in the hearts of people’

The way India has celebrated para sports marks a new era for the Games: PCI chief

Definitely things have changed fundamentally, that’s why this change has happened. The Rio Paralympics brought in a revolution which was taken forward. The medals haul in 2016 proved that there is a lot of potential in para sports. The attention of the government shifted to para sports, accepting it as mainstream sports. Para sports were included in all the mainstream-funding programmes of the government and the awareness spread. The media took notice, so did social media. The working of the federation became more streamlined. There was a deliberate attempt to conduct proper selection trials and introduce sciences in sports. Talent pool was identified and nurtured, aiming at future events such as the Tokyo Paralympics. would also grant it to the coaches, along with the administration’s support. The coaches have understood after Rio that medals can be won when sports sciences are introduced. Till 2016, it was only myself, Devendra Jhajharia, Maria Lyle and Varun Singh Bhati who had introduced sport sciences into our training programmes. As a president, I ensured quick and easy communication, understanding the needs of a particular request of an athlete and presenting it before the Olympics committee for sanction.

Under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, more than ₹17 crore were sanctioned to the athletes for preparation. The State governments too came forward and funded preparations. We also received funding from private companies under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme, but they came in a bit late. Government funding comes after the team is formed and the talent has been identified, but these athletes need to be continuously trained. We do need more funding, there is no doubt about it.

The way India has celebrated para sports, it definitely marks a new era for the Games. It jumped started with Rio and now with Tokyo, there is not just more awareness but we have made place in the hearts of the people. People have begun to follow the Games. Now, they make enquiries on social media as to when they are going to see the para-athletes in action again. As a president, I made deliberate efforts to revive our social media handles. We were applauded by the International Paralympic Committee for the maximum engagement from India. We got 2.6 million-plus likes and engagements as our athletes won the medals.