Is facing severe fund crunch but hopes to make the cut for World Championship in England
Mumbai: “After playing badminton, I felt like a normal human being, a common man for the sport had speed and accuracy,” he said. Girish Kumar Sharma — a Paralympic shuttler from Thane — has been a victor. From Israel to Bangkok — his racket shattered notions that disabled athletes aren’t aggressive on the court. But the honours did not seem enough as the 27-year-old is currently without a job.
“Whatever small tournaments I play and the very little I earn out of it (Rs 4,000-5,000), I try to savethat and use it up for my daily bread. It usually lasts for a month or two,” said Girish, whose eyes are set on the Para-Badminton World Championships to be held in England in September.
“But I can’t afford that myself. I doubt whether the government will pay for my expenses,” he revealed.
Girish’s story is another instance of athletes being neglected. Even India’s most successful doubles pair of Ashwini Ponnappa-Jwala Gutta is calling for better facilities and specialised doubles coaches. The duo recently hit out at chief coach Pullela Gopichand for not treating all shuttlers equally as they were excluded from the Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.
Girish lost one of his legs at the age of two. “It was in a village near Madhya Pradesh. My leg got stuck in between a railway track joint and a train ran over it. Ironically, my father works in the Railways,” he recalled.
But his life started there. The Rajasthan-born kid went to a normal school and played all sports till he chose badminton in 2002. For 10 years, he punished opponents without any additional support. But recently, the Badminton World Federation came up with a new rule that shuttlers without a leg should use a wheelchair keeping the ligament in mind.
“I was habituated to the use of one leg from childhood. So, it never occurred to me as a problem... Now, with the new rule, I am more ambidextrous and my reflex has improved. Playing on a wheelchair means co-ordinating the wheels according to the court movements,” he added.
Talking about the forthcoming World Championships, he pointed out how it would benefit him for the future but reiterated the problem of funds.
“If I go there and do well, it will open the gates for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and according to rankings, it could might as well take me to 2020 Olympics,” said Girish, who won his first gold medal at the Asian Paralympics Cup held in Bangalore in 2008.
He further added, “But I don’t know who will help me achieve my dreams. I have won medals abroad (in South Korea and Israel) but still, nobody came forward.”
Officials from Sports Authority of India inspected the para shuttlers’ game recently and Girish is waiting for his call. “The government’s decision is going to be based on that,” he said.
Girish has been fortunate to be under the wings of Shrikant Wad, who is providing him with free coaching and shelter. However, the shuttler is still hopeful to make the cut for the World Championship but wished for provided better facilities. “There are no jobs for players and no money, which leads to no proper diet; very few go out of the country. Even if you do, you need to carry your own wheelchair and two wheelchairs are a must,” said Girish, who has been knocking doors for employment opportunities without meeting any luck yet.
“Someone told me there is no sports quota, some said no to the handicapped quota and others asked for recommendations. My family told me to give up and come back, but I don’t want to leave my dreams half way,” he said.
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(Photo: AFP)
“I’ve myself paid 75 euros in Germnay once. Both me and Jwala (Gutta) have been fighting for support for a long time. Hence, I can imagine what a Paralympic shuttler must be going through.
The situation isn’t good at all. The expenses are huge if going abroad. It varies from tournament to tournament and the hotels are booked accordingly.
But for a Super Series or World Championships, it can get up to Rs 2 lakh minimum (if one doesn’t have a sponsor) which includes a decent accommodation.
Thankfully, we have been fortunate enough to earn the right to be in the Indian team,”
— Ashwini Ponnappa, India player (doubles)
(Photo: Screengrab)
It is a big problem. Whether you are a Paralympic or an ordinary player, there are a lot of issues. There was a programme on television recently where people were talking about differences within Indian doubles pair Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa and chief coach Pullela Gopichand.
A lot of talented players are not given opportunities like other countries who are spending money on emerging players. We (in India) are not. Many of our promising players are limited to the training court.
— Tom John, renowned badminton coach (Tom’s Badminton Academy, Bangalore). In 2001, he also helped Pullela Gopichand win the All England Championship and has been his personal coach.
