The recently concluded 19th National Para Athletics Championships which was shifted from Chennai to Bengaluru at the last minute – four days before the event was due to start drew a lot of flak for the poor mismanagement by the organising committee – Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).
Significantly, some of the para-athletes were on trains en route to Chennai when they heard the news of a shift in venue.
Before the event started, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had also pulled up the PCI for violating COVID-19 guideline violations. However, the PCI said that overcrowding was a temporary issue — a result of the initial rush of participants as they crowded the entrance seeking information, confirming their registrations (for which they had prepaid Rs. 4000 each), completing other necessary criteria.
Later in the evening, a video circulated on social media where the men’s shot put event was being conducted in the evening at the Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru with the help of mobile flashlights and a few car headlights.
Moreover, although SAI had pointed out that the Kanteerava was not wheelchair-friendly as the main gates that provide entry to the ground, only one was even semi wheelchair-friendly the athletes somehow managed to enter the stadium with the help of a large piece of wood that had been laid across the uneven surface.
The para-athletes also complained that the stadium was under renovation, there were uneven surfaces, debris, and construction material everywhere. He further said that the stadium was full of flex banners, in colour and carrying the faces of the organising committee members (both PCI office bearers and those of the presidents of the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu state associations).
And on the other side, to asist the athletes just few four A4-sized sheets of paper had been stuck on two pillars to show where the wheelchair-friendly washrooms were.
At a time when the nation is once again under the grip of Covid-19, social distancing was loosely followed at the venue.
However, PCI chief Deepa Malik insisted they had asked athletes to bring with them certificates showing they had tested negative for COVID-19 while several athletes complained that they were unaware of any such thing and there was no provision for testing at the venue.
The PCI however, insisted that following COVID guidelines was an individual’s responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Vidyanagar Stadium, the second venue for the event was a little more disability-friendly as there was construction happening in the background.
Despite several complaints, the PCI said that it was the first time such large numbers (around 900) of athletes had been provided with accommodation, food and intra-city transport. PCI further insisted that it listened and sorted out all complaints despite facing the challenge of a shift in venue at the last minute.