The 15th National Paralympics Meet, held at Ghaziabad near Delhi, turned out to be a nightmare for the 600 differently-abled athletes who participated in the three-day meet that ended today. They complained that the wheelchair-bound athletes were unable to use the ramp, the toilets were dirty and without water and the rooms were cramped and dirty.
The meet was held at the Janhit Sports Academy in Matiala Village of Ghaziabad. Construction work has still not been completed in the buildings in which the athletes were housed. The wheelchair-bound athletes were the worst hit. Unable to use the steep and unstable ramps, they did not have access to even the most basic of facilities, which were inside the building.
"We have to drag ourselves up the stairs as the ramps are very unstable. In fact, this is the reason we could not go to the toilet located up stairs. We had to go out of the building to relieve ourselves at a bush nearby," said Saradi.
The athletes also said they had difficulties with transportation, which was in short supply as the event was being held close to village.
The organisers on their part say they did not foresee the strain that would be placed on the facilities because the turnout had been higher than expected. "We were expecting around 550 athletes. But 1200 people have turned up, including a lot of family and friends of the athletes," said Kavindra Chaudhary, president of Uttar Pradesh Paralympic Association. He also said funds were a problem, as they had been given a budget of only Rs 2 lakh, and had raised Rs 30 lakh by themselves.
Asian Paralympic Committee Appoints Deepa Malik As Representative For South Asia Hyundai India Pledges Support To 20 Para Athletes For 3 Years Old Video Of Hand Ballet By 128 Performers In Wheelchairs Stuns Internet Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.