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Indian para-swimmer forced to beg in Germany; Sports Minister seeks report

The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) came under fire after reports of a paralympic swimmer was left in lurch in Germany came to light.

New Delhi, July 12: The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) came under fire after reports of a paralympic swimmer was left in lurch in Germany came to light.

The report of Kanchanmala Pande, who is completely blind but swims in the S11 category, was left to beg in Berlin after the money sanctioned for the tour didn't reach them.

Indian para-swimmer forced to beg in Germany; Sports Minister seeks report

Pande went to participate in the Para Swimming Championships in Germany. She was left with no option but to beg and borrow money so that she could participate in the tournament.

Defying all odds and hardships, Pande and Suyash Jadhav won silver and qualified for the World Championships.

The report of her upheaval was published in U.K.'s Daily Mail which drew the attention of Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra.

Bindra took to Twitter to express hits anger and even appealed to the Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take strict action against those responsible.

"This is UNACCEPTABLE. People must be held accountable," wrote Bindra, who won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Bindra even tagged PM Modi and Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel to apprise them about the apathy towards para-athletes.

The PCI has reportedly blamed the Sports Authority of India for the lapse.

Goel promptly replied: "I've instructed my Ministry to verify the facts of this episode and then comment on the matter."

Goel, in another tweet said: "I'm informed funds were released to Paralympic Committee by SAI on behalf of @YASMinistry. Trying to ascertain from PCI where problem lies."

Pande, who is also an assistant with the Reserve Bank of India in Nagpur, told Mail Today,"I never thought I would face such problems. I had to take a loan of Rs 5 lakh so that I could participate in the tournament."

"I had to qualify for the World Championships and I don't know why PCI didn't understand its importance."

"I was not given any official confirmation if I will receive a reimbursement for the expense I bore. I had to pay around Rs 70,000 (£844) for the hotel and more than Rs 40,000 (£482) for food," she added.

OneIndia News

Story first published: Tuesday, August 22, 2017, 12:22 [IST]
Other articles published on Aug 22, 2017