New Delhi: Kanchanmala Pande, an Indian para-swimmer, who is completely blind was left by the Indian authorities without any money in Berlin. The Paralympic Committee of India left her without an option but to beg.
Pande was forced to borrow money in the streets of Berlin so she could participate in the Para Swimming Championship, reports Dailymail.
Despite utter negligence of the authorities-which is not a new thing for India- Pande ended up winning silver and qualifying for the World Championship.
Olympics gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra expressed disappointment in the ministry of Inida and tweeted that people must be held accountable. He went ahead and tagged Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet.
This is UNACCEPTABLE. People must be held accountable. @VijayGoelBJP @narendramodi https://t.co/dBIrey8TYR
— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) July 12, 2017
Tennis star Somdev Devvarman and India Davis Cup captain Mahesh Bhupathi also took to the social media site to condemn the indifference towards Pande.
Horrible stuff to read… Changes need to be made in the way we perceive sport and the way we run it… The current system is a shame… https://t.co/rzGVuypIam
— Somdev Devvarman (@SomdevD) July 12, 2017
"Against all Odds" has been every sportspersons story in India at some level but this is an all time low .. #shameful #disgrace https://t.co/PayRfQlmDX
— Mahesh Bhupathi (@Maheshbhupathi) July 12, 2017
Meanwhile Vijay Goel replied to Bindra, clarifying that the funds for the welfare of the athletes on the tour were arranged by the Ministry for Your Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), to the Paralympics Council of India (PCI).
PCI is critized severly after the incident and has been temporarily suspended by the International Paralympics Committee.
In 2015 National Paralympics Championship, PCI did not provide even the basic amenities like water to the athletes.