India’s para-athletes deserve better

The names of Neeraj Chopra and Manu Bhaker may ring an instant bell, but Sumit Antil and Avani Lekhara might not. That’s the sad irony in India. All four are medallists at the 2024 Paris Olympics, yet Antil and Lekhara are not household names because they are Paralympians. Remarkably, they won back-to-back gold medals in Tokyo and Paris. Antil even achieved something his more famous compatriot Neeraj Chopra couldn’t.

While our athletes brought home six medals—none of them gold—from the Paris Olympics, our Paralympians won 29 medals, including seven golds, marking India’s best-ever Paralympics performance. Antil not only defended his Tokyo gold in the men’s javelin throw, he also broke his earlier record. Lekhara defended her 10m rifle shooting standing in Paris—the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in the Games’ history.

The brilliant performance of our Paralympians exemplifies the triumph of the human spirit against fierce odds.

Of course, our politicians, ministers, and sports officials were quick to offer congratulatory messages, announce rewards, and pledge sponsorships for the medallists, which is commendable. But what’s of paramount importance is translating this celebratory tone into sustained recognition, support, encouragement, and awareness of disabled rights, making their lives easier.

India, unfortunately, is not known for being friendly to the differently-abled, and it has a long way to go when it comes to removing infrastructural, institutional, and attitudinal barriers for disabled persons. For starters, most public places and buildings lack basic facilities needed for such people in everyday life; educational institutions in India lack sporting facilities for disabled persons who are not even provided with the opportunity to participate in annual sports or games.

There is a lack of technology and multi-sensory essentials to enhance potential talent and ensure effective participation of persons with disabilities.

Now that our Paralympians have brought home more medals from Paris than our regular Olympians, our differently-abled athletes deserve a level playing field to be treated on a par with able-bodied athletes. All they need is equal rights, facilities, support, and encouragement.

The achievements of our para-athletes are exemplary, given the immense obstacles they face daily. Despite unimaginable odds, they have excelled on the global stage through sheer hard work and determination. The Paralympics are not less competitive, with thousands of athletes from over 100 countries fiercely vying for those coveted medals.

What makes their achievement even more remarkable is that many of our para-athletes come from humble backgrounds and rural or semi-urban areas where sports facilities are scarce. Their success stems from grit, a love of sport, and the dogged determination to excel.

Haryana’s Sumit Antil, for example, was an avid sportsman until a bike accident in 2015 led to the amputation of his left leg below the knee. Despite this, he returned to sports with the aid of a prosthetic leg and has since excelled at both the national and international levels.

Avani Lekhara suffered a life-altering road accident at age 11, which left her wheelchair-bound since 2012. But her resilience, determination, and her father’s support saw her achieve several milestones in shooting, a sport she seriously pursues.

Bronze-medallist Sheetal Devi, born without arms, showed physical limitations are no barrier to achieving greatness by shooting with her legs. Archery Gold-medallist Harvinder Singh was barely two years old when he contracted dengue. The side effects of a botched treatment left both his legs impaired. Inspired by Paralympians, he took to archery. His journey to Paralympic glory is a testament to his incredible perseverance and ambition.

While India’s differently-abled athletes are slowly gaining recognition and support, thanks to the government’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme and the non-profit GoSports Foundation, a lot more remains to be done.

Apart from providing proper infrastructure and sporting facilities for the differently-abled right from early school days and organising regular sports at the state and national level, inclusive opportunities and policies should be a pressing priority. Equally imperative is greater media coverage of para-athletes and their stories, their sporting events, as well as sponsoring them for sports-related endorsements. Crucially, the flawed mindset among many that sees para-athletes as ‘less than’ must also change.

India is home to 1.3 billion people, with over 2.2% of them enduring some form of disability (according to the 2011 census).

It is high time we, as a nation, wholeheartedly support and encourage differently-abled persons (including sportspersons) and bring about not only an overall attitudinal change towards them but also the way we look at disability.

(The writer is a Bengaluru- based independent journalist)