Page 5 - Paralympics

Para-athletes laud Svayam and PCI for transportation accessibility

Accessibility organisation Svayam, which is partnering the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), has been lauded by top para-athletes like table tennis player Bhavina Patel for making transportation accessible for them during their stay in the national capital before heading to Paris for the Paralympics starting on Wednesday. Svayam donated special vehicles that can accommodate wheelchairs without the athletes having to be displaced to board and deboard, ensuring greater mobility. Patel thanked SAI (Sports Authority of India), and the Table Tennis Federation of India among others for the initiative. "Svayam has played an important role by providing special vehicles that enhance accessibility and travel comfort, highlighting their crucial role in improving our overall experience and performance," she said in a press release issued by PCI. Para discus thrower Sakshi Kasana also appreciated the organisation, which started as an online portal providing information on policies, laws, and

India eyes 12 medals at Paralympics, Sumit Antil leaves with first batch

Eyeing an unprecedented five gold and a dozen medals in total, the first batch of the Indian contingent, including star javelin thrower Sumit Antil, left for the Paris Paralympics in advance to get acclimatised to the conditions. The 16 para athletes will stay at hotels in Paris for a few days before entering the Games Village on August 25, three days before the Opening Ceremony. The likes of Antil, who is bidding to become the first Indian to defend his Paralympics gold, will train at facilities near the French capital to acclimatise with the weather conditions there. Para athletics events will be held from August 30 to September 8, the closing day of the Paralympics, at Stade de France, the same venue where the able-bodied athletes competed during the Paris Olympics. "Sumit Antil and some other para athletes will train at Nelson Mandela Sports Complex for a few days before entering the Games Village," para-athletics head coach Satyanarayana told PTI. Nelson Mandela Sports Comple

Paralympic Games: 25000 Police will be on guard duty says French minister

France's interior minister said Tuesday that about 25,000 police officers will be deployed every day in Paris and beyond to watch over the Paralympic Games, in line with the security implemented during the Olympics. The Paralympics are to be held from August 28 to September 8 in the French capital and nearby sites. Speaking in a news conference, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin reiterated that authorities have detected no tangible terror threat to the Paralympics. He said Israel's delegation of 27 athletes will be protected 24 hours a day by elite police officers, like during the Olympics, amid tensions over Palestinian deaths during the war in Gaza and the threat of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. The opening ceremony next week is expected to draw about 30,000 spectators at the Concorde venue, and some 15,000 other people who will be able to attend the ceremony for free on the Champs-Elysees avenue, Darmanin said. Police forces also will ensure the security of the

India aims to win over 25 medals at Paris Paralympics: PCI chief Jhajharia

India is hoping to win more than 25 medals from its largest-ever contingent of 84 athletes at the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games beginning on August 28, the country's governing body chief Devendra Jhajharia said on Tuesday. Jhajharia, himself a double gold medallist at the Paralympics, said the Indian contingent would look the carry the momentum of record-breaking performances in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics and 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games. India had won 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympics and a historic 111 medal at the Para Asian Games. "This is the biggest para contingent India has ever sent to the Paralympics. We are very confident about the overall performance and are sure to win more than 25 medals," Jhajharia said here at a event organised by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). India is set to compete in 12 sports, including archery, athletics, badminton, canoeing, cycling, blind judo, powerlifting, rowing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, and taekwondo. Most of our

Para shuttler Bhagat to miss Paris Paralympics, handed 18-month suspension

Tokyo gold medallist para shuttler Pramod Bhagat has been suspended for a period of 18 months due to whereabout failure and will miss the Paris Paralympic Games, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said on Tuesday. "In 1 March 2024, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) Anti-Doping Division found Bhagat in breach of the BWF anti-doping regulations for committing three whereabouts failures within 12 months," BWF said in a statement. "Bhagat, an SL3 athlete, appealed this decision to the CAS Appeals Division. "On 29 July 2024, the CAS Appeals Division dismissed the Bhagat's appeal and confirmed the CAS Anti-Doping Division decision of 1 March 2024. His period of ineligibility is now in effect," the statement added. Bhagat won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in men's singles SL3 category, beating Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in the final.

Paris becomes more disabled-friendly, but will it last after Paralympics?

Since the start of the Olympics, Ndieme Lame has been commuting every day to the Stade de France where she works as a volunteer helping visitors find their way. The 57-year-old wheelchair user is in awe at how easy it's been to cross the city on public transit to reach the Olympic stadium. I never would have believed I could make it here almost on my own, she said Wednesday after her 1 & 1/2-hour commute from her home in southern Paris. Her daily journey highlights the city's efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics. Lame said an online system that lets her book assistance at commuter train stations has been particularly helpful. Challenges remain, however, particularly in the underground Metro system where most stations are not fully accessible to people in wheelchairs. And, Lame wonders whether the train station assistants will still be there after the Paralympics, which start just over two weeks after the Olympics ...

Unsung heroes, not a burden

Paralympic winners are finally getting their due, but much work remains

Airbnb sees 30% bookings surge from Indian guests for Paris Olympics

Held once every four years, the hospitality major has observed that travellers from more than 160 countries have booked their stays for the duration of the Games

Olympics Cell clears proposals for equipment of Paris-bound athletes

The Sports Ministry's Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Thursday approved multiple proposals for assistance towards equipment by athletes and para athletes in the build up to the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games. At its weekly meeting, the MOC has approved a proposal of paralympic table tennis medallist Bhavina Patel for assistance to compete in ITTF Para Table Tennis Asia Training Camp 2024 in Thailand from July 16 to 20 along with her coach and escort. It also approved the request of para shooters -- Manish Narwal, Rudranksh Khandelwal, Rubina Francis and Sriharsha R Devareddy -- for various sport shooting related equipment. These include air rifle for Sriharsha and Morini pistol for Rubina and assistance towards procurement of two javelins (Valhalla 800g Medium NXB and Diana Carbon 600g) for para-athlete Sandeep Choudhary. The MOC also approved the request for financial assistance towards procurement of equipment for archers Ankita Bhakat, Deepika Kumari and para-archers Sheetal

Paralympics 2026: Deepa Malik confident India can double their Tokyo tally

Deepa feels that the increasing facilities and investment, as well as globalisation, will naturally convert the team's performance into medal-winning efforts

Paralympics opens in 100 days; Paris organisers push ticket sales

With 100 days until the Paralympics begin, Paris organizers are delivering a message from the athletes in a bid to boost ticket sales: I am not missing anything, except you. The countdown campaign for the August 28-September 8 Paralympic Games begins Monday. It features three Paralympic athletes, each of them alone in an empty stadium. The campaign slogan Il ne me manque rien, sauf vous (I'm not missing anything, except you) is a rallying call to get people to come along and watch them compete. The French athletes featured in the campaign are Arnaud Assoumani, a long jump and triple jump specialist who won gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing; wheelchair tennis player Pauline Droulde, and blind soccer player Gal Rivire who was a European championship winner two years ago. He plays at club level for Bondy Ccifoot Club in the same suburb where France star Kylian Mbapp grew up. National broadcaster France Tlvisions will show the campaign in a bid to raise awareness and ultimately bo

Sports ministry revokes Paralympic Committee of India's suspension

The Sports Ministry on Tuesday revoked the suspension imposed on the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) after the body initiated the process for its long-pending elections in which multiple-time Paralympic medallist Devendra Jhajharia is set to be elected President. On February 2, the ministry terminated PCI's recognition for "intentional delay to elect a new executive committee" as per the National Sports Code. The PCI had postponed the elections, which should have been held before January 31 this year, to March 28 because of the impending Para Shooting World Cup from March 6-15. After its suspension, the body proposed March 9 as the new date to elect governing body members and began the process of nominations. Most of its top posts are set to be filled without any contest. The ministry said that the "main ground for suspension of government recognition" has been addressed. "...since the election process has reached the stage where the nominated candidates have been deemed to be

Paralympic javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia set for political plunge

Devendra Jhajharia was only eight when he lost part of his left arm after coming in contact with an electric wire while climbing a tree in his hometown of Churu in Rajasthan. And 34 years after that accident, life has come full circle for India's greatest para-athlete as the celebrated javelin thrower, who has won three Paralympic medals, including two gold, is now set to enter the political arena. The 42-year-old will be contesting on a BJP ticket in the upcoming general elections from his birthplace, which is the gateway to the Thar desert and hits the headlines annually for its record temperatures both in summers and winters. The childhood tragedy that led to the amputation of his left arm was just one of the many odds that Jhajharia battled to climb the ladder of success. His indefatigable spirit fetched him multiple medals at the Paralympics, the last one being a silver in the 2021 Tokyo Games. He is also a two-time para world championships medallist besides being a silver-win

IPC rejects sport ministry's suggestion to form ad hoc committee to run PCI

The world governing body for para sports has rejected sports ministry's suggestion for forming an ad-hoc panel to run the affairs of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) after the government suspended the national body for not holding elections on time. While suspending the PCI on February 2, the ministry had directed the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to co-ordinate with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to form an ad-hoc committee "to undertake the tasks performed by PCI" and "conduct free, fair and transparent elections". But, the IPC has categorically told the sports ministry that "the current governance situation of the PCI does not require an intervention by the IPC". The IPC also said that the PCI "is currently not in breach of any of its member obligations". The current PCI dispensation, under Deepa Mehta, had claimed that the elections were postponed in view of the Para Shooting World Cup to be held in India from March 6 to 15. "We are not in a position to form

Sports Ministry suspends Paralympic Committee of India over election delay

The Ministry further said that the election to form a new committee should have been conducted before the "expiry of the term of the previous Executive Committee."

More than 700 para shooters caught in crossfire between PCI and NRAI

More than 700 para shooters have been caught in the crossfire between the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), and are unable to decide which tournament to participate in following different sets of competition circular being issued by the respective bodies. PCI secretary general Gursharan Singh issued a warning on Saturday, saying NRAI inviting para shooters in its competitions was an "unauthorised" act. Para shooting in the country is governed by PCI, which in turn is affiliated to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). At the international level, para shooters compete under the aegis of World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS). NRAI, on the other hand, is affiliated to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), which in turn is governed by International Olympic Committee (IOC). PCI was taken by surprise when the NRAI issued a series of circulars calling on para shooters to participate in the Zonal/GV Mavlankar Championsh

Cindy Hook appointed CEO of 2032 Olympic organising committee in Brisbane

American executive Cindy Hook has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the organising committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane. The organising committee announced the appointment on Tuesday after engaging with 50 candidates over six months. Hook was based in Singapore as CEO of Deloitte Asia Pacific until June and had previously worked for the international professional services network in the US and in Australia, moving to Sydney in 2009 to lead the auditing practice for six years and later becoming CEO of the Australian operation in 2015. "The opportunity to lead the Olympics and Paralympics is once in a lifetime," Hook said. "The idea of setting up the organisation, building the team, creating a vision and driving to a smooth delivery of Brisbane 2032 is very exciting and I expect it will be both challenging and rewarding." Hook said she'd made regular visits to Brisbane during her prior time in Australia and would be moving to the Queensland state capi

Paralympic medallist Lekhara receives Para Sports Person of Year award

At the Turf 2022 and India Sports Awards of FICCI, former Ranji cricketer Sarkar Talwar was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement of the Year award on Saturday

In light of Hans Niemann's Chess scandal: 10 cheating scandals in sports

Cheating in sports has existed as long as sports. Unfair advantage is sought by athletes and coaches to make sure they or their teams win at any cost. Here's a list of the 10 such instances

PM Modi lauds paralympic champion Avani Lekhara on winning 2nd gold

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed young paralympic champion Avani Lekhara for clinching her second gold medal at the ongoing Chateauroux 2022 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in France