Kozhikode: S.R. Vyshakh from Perambra, Kozhikode, proved that sportsmanship is more about mind's will than one's physical ability.
He founded the Indian amputee football team in 2018 and managed to bag affiliation for India for the World Amputee Football Championship.
The team includes players from across the nation including Rajasthan, New Delhi and Kerala, where they get little or no government support.
Disability does not hinder Mr Vyshakh, who lost his leg when he was 13 in a bike accident on his way to a football selection camp.
He plays with ordinary footballers including Falcon's, Malabar United and Yuva Kerala Bahrain. During Northeast ISL championship, he was the chief guest as well as a player.
He gained a degree in zoology and completed a diploma in homoeopathy. He worked as a pharmacist and now spends his time as a motivational speaker.
"India amputee football team will win the World Cup in 2022. We have the potential to win as we had played well during the match with one of the world champions, Kenya, recently," he says.
"But only sportspersons who manage to get financial support from the government or other agencies will be able to participate in the tournament. Each has to spend up to Rs 75,000 to attend an international tournament."He believes the amputee sports champions in Kerala face grave difficulties as not just talent and equipment will enable them to triumph, but ample sponsorship or financial ability.
The only support they received was a dormitory allowance of Rs 50 per head for participating in the South Zone Cricket matches from Sports Authority of India. When they sought more support, they rejected it, saying that it costs a lot.
While in Tamil Nadu, Mariappan Thankoil received Rs 2 crore for participating in the Paralympics, sixteen-year-old, C.S. Nimisha who got selected for the national championship in 2017, now plays for Gujarat as the Gujarat government funds her.
"She is the only player from girls category in Kerala. Talented sports persons with the potential to win national championships could not be trained well due to lack of support here," said his friend A.M. Kishore, president and founder of Para Amputee Football Association of India.
The district social justice department says it has not received any funds to promote sports activities of persons with disabilities.
"We have schemes and funds for their education and marriage of their offsprings", said Sheeba Mumthaz, district social justice department officer.According to the Kerala census 2015, out of 793,937 people with special needs 261,087 have a locomotive disability.
The Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 passed in Lok Sabha states that the appropriate government shall take measures to ensure active participation in sporting activities of the PWDs.
