Indian Blind Swimmer Begs In Germany For Expenses To Participate In World Championship

New Delhi: Visually challenged Indian swimming championship silver medalist Kanchanmala Pande was forced to beg in Berlin to meet her travel and accommodation expenses in the country.

Pande who was qualified for the World Championship has gone to Berlin to take part in the competition. Despite her blindness, she is the only swimmer from India who clinched the medal in the para swimming. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has showed their negligent towards the blind swimmer by sending her to the competition without providing any basic needs.

Pande who was in the country borrowed money from a friend of her to meet the food and travel expenses.

The incident has triggered reactions from the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Mahesh Bhupathi after a daily mail reported the consequences faced by the athlete in other country, while the Sports Minister Vijay Goel has promised to look into the matter.

As there no reply from the government even after the posts on Twitter, Goel sent a reply to Bindra, saying 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).

Some of the facilities also lacked the proper infrastructure to allow the para-athletes using wheelchairs properly use the stairs. The PCI was temporarily suspended by the International Paralympics Committee after the issue.