India’s sole Paralympics badminton champion Nitesh Kumar on Wednesday said that para shuttlers, who returned with 5 medals (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) from Paris, deserve a more professional set-up than is currently in place at the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Treating para-shuttlers at par with able-bodied ones and heeding their needs was crucial, Nitesh said.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Nitesh wrote, “Irrespective of the social media appreciation from BAI (which is very rare), we the athletes are highly dissatisfied with the response & the interest from BAI regarding Para badminton responsibilities. We sincerely request BAI & SAI (sports authority) to hand over para badminton to PCI (Paralympic Committee of India).”
Delayed logistical support on visas, travel and hotel bookings, local transport keeping in mind the special needs of wheelchair and prosthetic-using athletes, and timely sending of entries were some of the issues Nitesh highlighted when speaking to The Indian Express. Not managing this properly had led to “humiliation” for para-shuttlers when they travelled, he said.
BAI, responding to queries, told this paper, “We got an official handover some time back.” Stressing that they had done due diligence on the matter, BAI added it will check and respond on Thursday.
On X, BAI responded to Nitesh saying, “BAI is working on a concrete plan for Para badminton & its future growth. Each of the medallists, coaches & staff will be hearing from us personally to understand, get insight on the action plan which is not alone about celebrating the success but long-term projects.”
They ended with #badmintonforall and hinted that a domestic circuit structure, first of its kind for any para sport, will be put in place.
However, Nitesh claimed that “BAI has hardly been encouraging para shuttlers though we won 5 medals at Paralympics. They didn’t even tweet congratulations until much later. We had 21 medals at the Para Asian Games and several at the Para World Championships. But there was no acknowledgement. They keep posting even the smallest detail of junior able-bodied shuttlers. Are we not good enough to recognise?” he lamented.
What prompted Nitesh to request for the PCI to step in was a meeting with the sports minister, who received the victorious para medallists.
“When all medallists met the sports minister, we told him of our concerns and that we would be happy if PCI took over. He told us that he understands the situation and himself suggested that we go to PCI and that he will guide the ministry to initiate the handling of this matter. It’s only after the ministry prompted that there was a tweet congratulating all of us from BAI after the Paralympics,” Nitesh said.
PCI runs other programs like para athletics, swimming, cycling and table tennis. But Badminton World Federation (BWF), which holds circuit tournaments, coordinates with BAI.
Nothing new
India’s para shuttlers have endured years of logistics apathy, despite winning medals internationally. “It’s been difficult for para shuttlers for a while. When I started back in 2016-2017, the Badminton Association of India and Paralympic Committee of India were sharing responsibilities, but there used to be miscommunication. When players needed something, we would get shuffled between them. Later on, BAI took over from PCI,” Nitesh said.
Para shuttlers’ miseries centre around administrative back-up that’s important for athletes who need to travel extensively to collect qualification points. “Because there is no adequate administration for para matters at BAI, we are left requesting them for help before every tournament. During the qualification period, there were plenty of times when there was no transport arranged, room bookings would be late, and there would be a lot of humiliation in getting basic things. Wheelchair players need help in advance and always struggle. Those like me and Manasi Joshi, who wear prosthetics, need special shower chairs in hotel rooms. All these things can be easily done if planned in advance. But we are just not a priority,” Nitesh said.
The Paris Qualification period was a nightmare, multiple shuttlers recounted. “BAI would miss sending entries. A few players missed tournaments in the early period altogether, and that was the end of their dream, reason given was that their emails went to the spam folder. We kept requesting them to revert after confirming entries, but there wasn’t anything. We have to routinely depend on the ministry or Sports Authority of India (SAI) for visas. The tournament invitation letters are delayed, and it’s difficult just getting to tournaments.”
