All grit, no glory
It was a day when the medal winners from the Paris Paralympics were to be felicitated by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The Indian contingent returned with its best result at the Paralympics — winning 29 medals, including seven gold medals. Yet the setting of the function — the VIP hall at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with an ineffective air conditioning system — left a sour taste.
It was a big reminder to the Paralympians that despite their medals, they will never be treated the same as their able-bodied counterparts.
Yogesh Kathunia, who won the silver medal in the men’s discus throw F56 event, called it a societal issue.
“We Indians are not inclusive. The government has maintained equality but the private sector thinks we are not equal,” he said. “We don’t get to win medals easily. We have been fighting our disability for years before performing well to win. I suffer from a neurological disorder, it weakens my muscles. For me to improve my performance I have to work doubly hard. Sumit (Antil) is throwing 70 metres with a prosthetic leg. If he was able-bodied, how far do you think he would throw?” he added.
“I sat on a platform and threw 48.34 metres to win the discus medal. I challenge anyone to match it. The point I am making is that we need inclusivity, and only then will things change for many of us,” he added.
Kathuniya explained how there was a world of difference between how big brands treat able-bodied athletes and para-athletes.
“We want to use a certain brand, do you think we will get the same amount of money if we become ambassadors? We will never get it. Brand people never think like that, they think we are not equal,” he said.
Harvinder Singh, who created history after becoming the first para archer from India to win a gold medal, shared Kathuniya’s grouse. Singh said that there are distinctions being made in state government jobs in which para-athletes are getting ignored.
“It is the conditioning in which some people rate us lower than able-bodied athletes. Those people should spend a day with para-athletes. They will see what hardships we have to go through on a daily basis. You go back and see my final. Can anyone tell me that my performance was any way lesser than normal archers?” he said.
“The Haryana government has downgraded para-athletes’ recruitment. Now they will not give Grade A jobs to us. I am doing a doctorate. We have engineers, IAS officers, doctors in the team, we have the same qualifications. They give the same amount of money to all medal winners but where is the parity in jobs? Para gold medallists will only get a Grade B job. This is wrong,” he added.
Mariyappan Thangavelu became the most consistent Paralympian after winning the men’s high jump T63 bronze, his third successive Paralympics medal. But he doesn’t understand why Indians celebrate a bronze winner in the Olympics but fail to recognise a Paralympics gold medallist.
“People go crazy if a normal athlete wins a bronze medal. They make them a big star but if a para-athlete wins a gold medal no one cares. When both have played in the Olympics and performed to win, why the different treatment? It has to change,” the 29-year-old, who won gold in 2016 and silver in 2021, said.
“I have won three medals in three successive Paralympics but till today I have no sponsor backing me. No one is coming to me. I have discussed with a lot of companies but they never come back. All they say is ‘please wait’. Three Paralympics have passed and I have not got one sponsor,” he added.
