What’s the story?
Indian para-athlete Kanchanmala Pande, who was in Berlin to participate in the Para-Swimming Championships, was forced to beg and borrow after she failed to receive the money sanctioned by the Indian government. She and five others had to face a harrowing time at the German capital as the sanctioned money for the tour did not reach them. Hailing from Nagpur, the visually impaired swimmer had to face such consequences owing to her alleged slip-up with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). Kanchamala, who is also an assistant with the Reserve Bank of India in Nagpur, was competing in the S11 category.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Kanchanmala said, "I was not given any official confirmation if I will receive a reimbursement for the expense I bore. I had to pay around Rs 70,000 for the hotel and more than Rs 40,000 for food. There was a time when I had no money left. I was simply devastated. Moreover, they put my name in 50m Backstroke when it was never my event. I had to write letters to the International Paralympic Committee when a coach was appointed to take care of the swimmers."
In case you did not know
The 26-year-old swimmer put up a brilliant display to beat the qualifying mark in all her 100m events and also the 200m Individual Medley, in which she picked up a silver medal. Kanchanmala was the only female swimmer from India to qualify for the World Para-Swimming Championships, to be held this year.
The heart of the matter
Kanchanmala, along with her escort Jaimala Pande, was part of the Berlin contingent and were granted sponsorship by the government. However, the PCI failed to provide the money and she was forced to bear her own hotel and food expenses. She even had to take a loan of Rs 5 lakh to sponsor herself for the tournament. Eventually, after running out of money, Kanchanmala had to borrow money from people in an unknown city.
PCI vice-president Gurucharan Singh, on the other hand, blamed the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for not disbursing the money. The athletes even had to arrange their own visas by paying an additional amount of Rs 15,000. The PCI has now stated that the swimmers will be refunded their money.
To add to her woes, Kanchanmala was left bewildered when she found out that the PCI had registered her in the 50m Backstroke event when she had actually applied for the 100m event. She also revealed that Kanwaljeet Singh, who was appointed coach by the PCI went often missing during the main events. He even asked for 90 pounds (Rs 7,462) as a participation fee.
What’s next?
Despite all the odds, Kanchanmala and Suyash Jadhav won silver medals and qualified for the World Championships. Kanchanmala has now shifted her focus to training for her upcoming campaign in Mexico.
Author’s take
This is not the first time such an event has taken place. The incident is indeed a setback for Indian athletics and it is of utmost importance that the government starts taking stern measures against such fallacies.
