Coimbatore : While Indian Paralympic athletes win medals at international levels and progress to greater heights over the years, Coimbatore is yet to get a decent facility for its para athletes who have proved themselves in the national arena many times.
Coimbatore : While Indian Paralympic athletes win medals at international levels and progress to greater heights over the years, Coimbatore is yet to get a decent facility for its para athletes who have proved themselves in the national arena many times.
Para athletes showcase a high level of determined spirit considering their physical limitations. They train hard to win medals for the country and are athletes competing in a different category, but with no less spirit and flair. But the facilities they are provided with, in Coimbatore, is a far cry from what other para athletes enjoy in the country.
In order to promote the game of 'sitting volleyball' for these bunch of feisty athletes, Dr. V Albert Premkumar, a sports enthusiast formed a Para Volleyball Association of Coimbatore in the year 2015. Since then, about hundreds of sportsmen are trained in this Olympic game by the Association. “We were placed first and second in various tournaments conducted at the state and national level. The players, through their hard work emerge as winners in many events but we are struggling to provide adequate practice facilities for our players, due to lack of infrastructure and a financial crisis in this regard," lamented Prince, the Secretary of the Coimbatore Paralympic Volleyball Association. He is of the opinion that state and national winners who find it difficult to continue their passion owing to lack of financial support ought to be given financial aid under the Collector’s fund.
Under the Smart City scheme, a separate sports arena for para athletes, basic infrastructure and indoor court at the existing Nehru stadium, sports equipment for the players and special district awards for achievers are the demands that had been put forward by the Association. Though the Coimbatore Club is affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Para Volleyball association, while the city has decent facilities in the Nehru Stadium for regular players, para athletes have none.
"Though we have produced a couple of international players from Coimbatore, we are yet to get a proper court for practice," says Dr V Albert Premkumar, who is also the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Paralympic Volleyball Association. He also added that the Association has been producing many talents and winning several medals in national competitions and if a proper place to practice and conduct camps in the city can be provided, then it becomes easy for these new-found talents to achieve laurels for the country in the big arena.
The human spirit is one of ability, perseverance and courage that no disability can steal. "They already fly, we need to open the window for the air to come in so that they can fly higher" is the echoing sentiment heard for the enthusiastic para athletes.