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Will burn my racquet in front of Sports Minister's office to stage protest: Para-athlete Suvarna Raj

Fed up with the indifference of the authorities and constant snubs from the authorities, Indian Para-table tennis player Suvarna Raj has decided to quit playing.

By Avinash
Will burn my racket in front of Sports Minister's office to mark protest: Para-athlete Suvarna Raj

New Delhi, Jan 16: Fed up with the indifference of the authorities and constant snubs from Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), Indian Para-table tennis player Suvarna Raj has decided to call it quits.

The medal-winning para-athlete has blamed the authorities for their step-motherly behaviour to her for long, but she now seems to have lost her patience and has decided to stop playing.

In an exclusive conversation with MyKhel, Suvarna said, "I've been facing indifference from the authorities since 2009, despite repeated attempts I'm still not being given my due. I face the snub of the authorities for raising my voice against the problems we face. I've run from pillar to post to raise the concerns of the para-athletes but seems it's all falling on deaf ears. I'm literally tired of all this, so I've now decided to stop playing.

The winner of two medals at the Thailand Para Table Tennis Open 2013 and a participant of the Asian Para Games in South Korea, Suvarna stated players who have never played at national levels are being selected for the international events.

"Players who never participated in the nationals are being sent to play internationals, and players like us are facing the neglect. No nationals have been organised since 2012, I'm surprised as to how are they selecting new talents in the first place?

"There's hardly any camp organised for differently-abled athletes while able-body athletes participate in the camps all through the year. We get a camp of just six days before any big tournament, you tell me are six-days' enough for a para-athlete to prepare?

"We hardly get any coaches and whenever we approach able-body coaches they refuse to help us by saying 'we're only hired for able-body athletes'. This is the kind of sports culture we've in our country. But we're winning medals despite all these hardships," the para-athlete added further.

Talking about how she had to fight for the rights of para-athletes, the wheelchair-bound athlete - who suffers 90% disability as a result of polio infection - said, "It was me who initially fought for escorts to assist para-athletes and today every differently-abled sportsperson is getting an escort for every major tournament.

"But I've realised that those who appeal against the irregularities in the system are being sidelined. I'm constantly being ignored for the simple reason that I'm vocal about highlighting the irregularities in the system."

Suvarna revealed how she is facing the consequences of fighting for her cause and raising her voice.

"The authorities hardly convey me about tour dates and never intimate me on emails or phones about upcoming events. While other Paralympians get updates regularly. This clearly shows that I'm being deliberately ignored," lamented Raj.

"I wasn't informed about the last two tours held in July and November, last year. When I enquired with SAI and TTFI as to why I wasn't informed, I was told that no list was prepared on their behalf. So, a pertinent question now arises how players went on tours if no such list was created," she wondered.

From being forced to sleep on the floor of a train to take a bank loan to play in Thai open, the para-athlete has suffered all sorts of hardships but she is determined to make her concerns heard for one last time by staging a protest.

She has threatened to burn her racquet in front of Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's office or in front of his residence in New Delhi to stage her protest.

"I've tried reaching out to our Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore through various channels and if he's not going to hear my plea in coming two days, then I'm going to stage a protest in front of his office. I'll burn my racquet to mark my protest because that's, perhaps, the only way to draw their attention towards the apathy of differently-abled athletes," said Raj.

"I felt being a sportsperson himself Mr Rajyavardhan would understand my plight for he too must have faced hardships during his playing days due to politics in our system. I'm waiting for a response from his side," she signed off.

Story first published: Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 16:24 [IST]
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