Be it multi-national or multi-event sports, the Indian players have won widespread appreciation for their exceptional performance.
India's para athletes put up their best-ever show recently at the multi-sport even Asian Para Games (22-28 October). In the fourth edition of the games, India grabbed 111 medals -- 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze.
A similar performance was witnessed during the 19th edition of the Asian Games (23 September-8 October), with India reaching the fourth spot with 107 medals --28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze. This was the best-ever finish for India for these games.
Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games and a recipient of Arjuna award (the second-highest sporting honour of India), during the interview with Sputnik India, deliberated about the changing perception toward para games, government's favourable policies, and how India is placed globally in sports.
India's Rio Paralympic Games silver medalist Deepa Malik is garlanded with a crown and sword during a felicitation ceremony at a school in Chennai on October 27, 2016.
© AFP 2023 ARUN SANKAR
Sputnik: After 19th Asian Games, Indian athletes have put up a stellar performance at the Asian Para Games in China. How do you view the overall evolution of sports in the country?
Malik: I have been playing for almost 16-17 years now and connected very closely to the para sports movement post my paralysis. I see a tremendous shift in the mindset and policies gradually becoming inclusive.
Now, there is a very close sense of realization that if para sports does well, it reflects inclusivity of the country. And it shows that a nation has respect for its people with disabilities. It’s a global remark that India as well as the definition of 'New India' is on the right track.
I am happy that everyone is realizing the value of para sports in the paralympic movement. Because not only does it empower the persons with disability, at a larger perspective it also changes the public mindset. It makes everyone feel more inclusive and appreciative of their abilities beyond disabilities.
I also have noticed that there's a focus on treating para sports at par with the non-disabled athlete sports. There's also a lot of love for not only participation by the persons with disability but also a very strong focus on reaching the podium.
For para athletes, it is no more about participation or a recreational or rehabilitative sport but a mainstream competitive sport which is played very scientifically with the latest technology. It involves a lot of planning strategy, hard work, and training goes behind these podium finishes.
Sputnik: Any form of disability is generally considered a hindrance in life. In such a situation, how Indian para athletes are being motivated to take up sport which takes rigorous practice and hard work?
Malik: Basically, when your Prime Minister himself coins the word of respect to suggest that the persons with disability should be called “Divyang” (divine body), they are not disabled but specially-abled deserving opportunity, equal rights and their journey, and thus be supported --. this itself is the biggest motivation.
Apart from this, now we have so many role models in the field of para sports. Also, the main motivation comes from the love of 1.4 billion Indians and the interest of media which is highlighting the achievements of the para athletes.
I also feel that persons with disability now know that it (sports) is the best way to socially integrate, to serve the country, to become more fit, to grab job opportunities, cash awards, and other respective awards to create a new identity for themselves.
Sputnik: Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) was introduced by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport in 2014. Can you please elaborate on it and how has it helped the athletes?
Malik: I am a product of the TOPS myself. After winning second consecutive Asian para games medal in 2014, I realized that with my disability I am ranking in top four or five in javelin throw. However, there was a sudden change when javelin shifted to shotput.
If the TOP scheme was not there to back me up, where I needed a mental trainer to believe in me and make me feel it doesn't matter if javelin was not there I could practice shotput if I needed to participate in Rio Paralympics. Without the scheme, I would have not been able to prepare myself.
With the help of TOP scheme, I was able to get that self-belief. Because passion, dedication, and fitness were always there.
The scheme helps you customize the training as per the requirement of the athlete. It creates a holistic approach to the training. The athletes can add nutrition diet, help of the experts, also have a physiotherapist along with fitness conditioning coach, employ a skill coach to assist and all the requirements of the better wheelchair better gadgets, supporting belts, etc. and then opportunity to get exposures in international events to develop your skill even better.
Under this scheme, our athletes are getting international coaches and they are traveling abroad for coaching. Our high jumpers have trained outside the country with best of high jumping coaches.
Apart from this, prosthetics is also provided. Because it is very expensive and a track runner or a javelin thrower needs specialised prosthetics. So, when they get it they feel confident while representing the country at the world stage.
Besides, there is a lot of focus on the bio mechanics, the science behind the sport. So, I think that is what TOP scheme has started delivering, and the results are evident.
Sputnik: From here on, where can India be placed globally in terms of sports as countries like China, the US and others are still dominating the medal tally?
Malik: Yes, they may be dominating the medal tally. Bbut I think we have given them enough reasons to think that India is now emerging as a sporting power.
There have been clean sweeps, we have had events in the as recent as the Asian Para Games where our athletes have defeated Chinese athletes. In Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, our paddler Bhavina Patel defeated China’s Ying Zhou to win silver medal.
Table Tennis is something which is predominantly monopolized by countries like Japan, Korea, and China. But now an Indian is making the podium finish.
Similarly, a young 16-year old archer Sheetal Devi upset the Chinese team in the Asian Para Games this year. Sheetal along with her partner Rakesh Kumar in mixed doubles defeated the Chinese duo for the podium finish.
So, the process has just begun. Sports in India was never a culture and now when we have an encouraging Prime Minister and policies talking about Fit India movement, there has been a tremendous enthusiasm.
We are not talking about sports rather about fitness as a culture. So, this automatically reflects that now we have started loving sports beyond cricket.
After the Asian Para Games, the athletes didn’t lay back. The Prime Minister Office has shown interest in deciphering why other countries are better than us or why there is another country in Asia like Iran which has performed better and what do they do, what is their sports policy, their training strategy? What is that we are not doing right?
Of late, we have seen that infrastructure has started improving. There is a dedicated focus on creating inclusive infrastructure for sports. Requirements as per the disability are being assessed and there are research officers working on it.
In Sports Authority of India, every athlete's graph is being calculated, maneuvered, followed, accounted for, and there is an injury management treatment in case of injuries.
For example, Simran, in the visually impaired category got injured by the World Championship at Paris. But within two months, she had super injury management treatment, and even stakeholders like OGQ gave the best physiotherapist to the girl. And, she was able to secure two silver medals in track event.
Apart from this, now girls are getting encouraged to come out and play. They are even getting support from their families. So, we have 40 per cent participation of girls. Not just participation, at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, the girls' contributed 40 percent of the medals to the Indian tally.
So, this is a result of dedicated funding programs from our sponsors, stakeholders and also the government policies such as TOP scheme, and the research processes plus initiatives like Khelo India which catches the athletes young.
And I am really proud to say that in the coming month of December, we are going to have the first edition of Khelo India even for Para Games.