"They thought that we were good for nothing" - Kanubhai on early challenges faced by para-athletes in India

Indian para-sports have gained a lot of recognition over the last 10 years or so. But there was a time when para-athletes faced challenges as very few people believed in them to make a name for themselves at the international level.

Kanubhai, one of the initial advocates of para-sports in India, recently went down memory lane and talked about how people used to discourage differently-abled sportspersons.

“In 1984, when we used to say that physically challenged people can play sports too, people used to laugh. They thought that we were good for nothing and that God had punished us for bad deeds in our previous life," Kanubhai was quoted as saying to ANI.

Para Sports have come a long way in India as 95 athletes are set to participate in the upcoming edition of the Khelo India Para Games, which is scheduled to take place in Gujarat.

Sonal Patel, Bhavina Patel, and Parul Parmar, who all represented India in the Paralympics in Tokyo, will be a part of the upcoming tournament, set to be held from December 10 to 17.

Bhavna Chaudhary, Amrut Panchal, and Rachana Patel are some of the other top names who will be gracing the championship.

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Lallan Doshi shows confidence in Bhavina, Sonal ahead of Khelo India Para Games

Lallan Doshi, the coach of several para-athletes, backed the likes of Bhavina and Sonal to perform well in the upcoming events. Doshi pointed out that after Bhavina won the silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics two years ago, the complexion of para-sports in India changed. Bhavina lost 0-3 to World No.1 Ying Zhou but marked a new era for para-athletes in India.

"Bhavina (Patel) and Sonal (Patel) have been playing table tennis for quite some time but it is only after Bhavina's silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Para Games, that other girls took it seriously,” Doshi told the aforementioned publication.