On February 20, around 25 people with disabilities marched towards the Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, protesting for their Physically Challenged All Sports Association Kerala to be recognised by the state Sports Council. Nine days later, Kishor AM, state president of the Association, sent a letter to sports minister EP Jayarajan, bringing his attention to their plea.
“The main demand is for the state to recognise para-athletic sports in the council, and also provide us with facilities such as ground, equipment, camp, sports quota to go for nationals, grace marks for university exams and so on. We also ask that training facilities, coach, ground, stadium and swimming pool be provided to us for free,” Kishor tells TNM.
As of now, they are allowed discounts for these facilities on account of their disability, but this is hardly enough for the sportspersons to train, Kishor says. “There’s been absolutely no help from the state government or the state sports council.”
The letter quotes the section 30 of the Persons With Disabilities Act 2016 which says: (1) The appropriate Government shall take measures to ensure effective participation in sporting activities of the persons with disabilities, and, (2) The sports authorities shall accord due recognition to the right of persons with disabilities to participate in sports and shall make due provisions for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their schemes and programmes for the promotion and development of sporting talents.
National Para Badminton Championship 2019
Kishor points out that physically challenged sportspersons in Kerala have to spend their own money or find a sponsor if they want to play for the nationals as everything from the jerseys to the travel to the interviews needs to be taken care of. “The situation is similar for those going for international championships also. An army officer from Puthoor in Kollam called Aneesh, who has a disability, had won a gold medal at the Asian Championship in Indonesia. But the Sports Council said he will not be recognised since he has a disability. This is unlike what happens in other states – in Tamil Nadu, for instance, the government awarded Rs 2 crore to Mariyappan Thangavelu, a Paralympic high jumper, when he won gold at the 2016 Olympics.”
However, Kerala State Sports Council secretary Sanjayan Kumar says that cash awards are given for those who win national or international recognition in the state. He mentions Sidhartha Babu, a para-athlete rifle shooter from Thiruvananthapuram, who has been honoured by the council for his achievements. “The reason the Association has not been recognised by the sports council is because there are a few such organisations for persons with disability and there is a need to bring them all under one umbrella. We have tried to do this by inviting them for talks together, but they are not all in agreement with each other. We do not have a standardised procedure as of now and there would be the initial hiccups,” Sanjayan Kumar says.
However, the situation has been the same since 2010, Kishor says, ever since the Association was set up. “In 2008, when I enquired about para-athletic sports, no one had even heard of it. Later we got affiliated to the Paralympic Committee of India, and athletes from Kerala started participating in national championships,” says Kishor, who is an archer who competes internationally, and has won medals in volleyball and cricket. Kishor has 45% disability in both his legs.
“I started the association because it isn’t enough that only one or two people go from Kerala to take part in the nationals for para sports. More people should represent the state and win awards.”
To get recognition from the Kerala Sports Council, persons with physical disabilities will protest in front of the Sports Council on April 6, and on April 27, will begin an indefinite fast, if their needs are not met.