Visa Scandal Rocks Paralympic Committee of India Ahead of Paris Paralympics, French Embassy Rejects Visa of 15 PCI Officials

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As the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are set to commence from August 28 to September 8, a major visa scandal involving the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) has come to light.

The French Embassy in Delhi recently rejected the visa applications of at least 15 individuals who were reportedly set to attend the Games under the banner of PCI.

Earlier this week, PCI issued authority letters to these candidates, asserting their involvement in the Paralympic Games (a copy of the letter is in possession of myKhel). However, out of the 25 names listed, the French Embassy turned down visas for at least 15 candidates, according to a PCI official familiar with the matter. These individuals were supposed to board flights to Paris between August 24 and 25. The names of all 25 officials who applied is listed below at the end of this piece.

Interestingly, Parul Mahajan Oberoi, the PCI official responsible for visa-related matters, has distanced herself from the controversy. This is despite a letter signed by PCI Secretary General Jayawant GH being addressed to the French Embassy, stating that PCI had no connection with the individuals whose visas were rejected. "All the PCI officials are here in Paris. All is well with them. I am not aware of any other list of officials," Parul stated over the phone from Paris.

One of the prominent names whose visa was rejected is Arun Mathew, a well-known medical expert. Mathew had been a member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) medical team during the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is also a member of the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) medical board. Despite multiple attempts, Mathew did not respond to calls or text messages.

This raises an important question: Why was Mathew planning to attend the Paris Paralympic Games? The list of medical staff approved by PCI and sanctioned by the sports ministry did not include Mathew's name. The sports ministry had cleared 95 officials, including medical staff, for the Paris Paralympic Games, most of whom are already in Paris. Surprisingly, PCI did not submit Mathew's name to the sports ministry for inclusion in the official list but later issued him a letter for a visa.

Another rejected visa applicant, Jaspreet Singh from Punjab, was listed as a PCI official. He confirmed the development but was reluctant to share details. "I'm not going to the Paralympic Games," he said tersely.

Shaminder Singh Dhillon, another official from Punjab who was listed as a PCI board member, also had his visa application rejected. Despite attempts to contact him, Dhillon did not respond to calls.

One candidate, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that her visa was rejected despite her intentions to travel to Paris as a PCI observer. "I was spending my own money," she explained. However, a senior PCI official currently in Paris clarified, "We gave letters to applicants to facilitate the visa procedure. Those on the list will have to pay their own airfare and accommodation. We have nothing to do with the financial part of the tour to Paris."

Despite attempts to reach PCI President Devendra Jhajharia, a double Paralympic gold medalist, but he did not respond to calls either.

This scandal has cast a shadow over PCI's functioning, just as the athletes prepare for the upcoming Paralympic Games.

The names of all 25 visa applicants, who claimed to be team officials as per the letter

• Vinay Naidu
• Priyanka Choudhary
• Poonam Tharar
• Anita Sood
• Verinder Kumar Garg
• Aman Ashok Bhaiya
• Jagannath Sahoo
• Abhai Pratap Singh
• Vaibhav Prakash
• Himanshu Srivastava
• Mansukbhai Budhabhai Tavethiya
• Gaurav Kadiyan
• Shaminder Singh Dhillon
• Jaspreet Singh
• Naresh
• Ashish Dua
• Shallu Pahal
• Yadvendra Singh Shekhawat
• Sureshkumar Kuruba
• Sharad Saxena
• Arun Basil Mathew
• Arun Swami
• Dinesh Parmar
• Narender
• Shivajee Kumar