The Hindu : Funds only hurdle for this wheelchair sportsman

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Funds only hurdle for this wheelchair sportsman

By S. Vijay Kumar

MADURAI JUNE 8. Disability was never a deterrent to his aspirations to become an eminent sportsman, though poverty and lack of support did demoralise him occasionally.

J. Ranjith Kumar (29) of Madurai stood against all odds and made India proud at the 8th Fespic International Games in Busan (South Korea) by bagging a silver medal in discuss-throw last November. The appreciation came from none other than the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who felicitated a handful of disabled sportspersons for steering the nation to the 11th position among 45 countries.

When Mr. Ranjith was selected by the National Paralympic Committee of India for the Busan wheelchair games, he hardly had any money even to buy clothes.

With the Central and State sports agencies closing the doors for assistance, the unemployed youth had no other option but to borrow money from friends for flight tickets and entry fee. Some voluntary organisations and philanthropists also came forward to help him.

Paralysed by polio, Mr. Ranjith is no new face in the arena of wheelchair games. Having bagged 12 gold medals in various events, he still holds the national record in shotput and discuss throw. ``In the F-56 category of disability, I set a record by throwing 6.95 metres in shotput and 23 metres in discuss throw,'' he claims.

Now, the opportunity once again knocks at his doors.

The NPCI has selected him to participate in the ``British Open athletics 2003'' in Birmingham, United Kingdom, slated for August 16 and 17.

Since the Government has already refused his plea for funding, Mr. Ranjith is again on the crossroads as the NPCI has estimated the expenditure to be around Rs. 66,000, including travel charges.

Interestingly, when Mr. Vajpayee honoured the medal winners in New Delhi during December 2002, he is said to have announced a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs each for every for gold medal winner, Rs. 3 lakhs for silver and Rs. 2 lakhs for bronze.

Though the underprivileged sportspersons were overwhelmed with the gesture, the prize is yet to reach them.

``We are constantly pursuing the matter with the Prime Minister's Officer and are hoping to get the funds released soon,'' C. V. Raghunath of the NPCI said.

Unmindful of the money factor and infrastructure, Mr. Ranjith is preparing vigorously for the UK meet.

``I am planning to train him at Kodaikanal for a month so that he can get acquainted with the climatic conditions in Birmingham during August,'' said his coach, R. Parasuraman (Physical Director of a local school), who has been voluntarily training him for several years now.

Mr. Ranjith and the Madurai District Handicapped Welfare Association office-bearers hope that the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, will intervene and do the needful.

``I am sending a petition to the Chief Minister to recognise the sports activities of handicapped persons and help achieve their goals.''

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