Tokyo Paralympics was a case of talent meeting opportunity: Nandan Kamath

BENGALURU: A decade ago when

GoSports Foundation

took up the cause of para athletes, there weren’t many takers. The Foundation went ahead with its plans, armed with limited finances but belief in abundance.


The trust and confidence the organisation showed in para athletes bore results at the 2016

Rio Paralympics

with the Foundation supporting three of the four gold medallists. At Tokyo, the GoSports-supported athletes won eight of the 19 medals including four gold.

As

GoSports

Foundation turned 13 on Wednesday, renowned sports lawyer and managing trustee of the organisation

Nandan Kamath

spoke to TOI on the para athletes’ performance at the Games, their journey and the way forward.

Excerpts

How do you describe India’s performance at the Paralympics?

Brilliant. Five gold, 19 medals, 54 athletes. That’s special! It is time to celebrate the medallists, all the athletes who participated, those who tried but didn’t qualify, and each of their families and coaches.


At the start of the Games, did you envisage the performance?

We were confident the medal haul would be in double digits in javelin, high jump and badminton alone – and they did bring us 11. Nineteen medals exceeded our expectations. It was wonderful to watch it unfold and see the depth and diversity of our talent pool.

What do you attribute the medal haul to?

Talent meeting opportunity. Medallists 19 and 40 years old. The talent was always there. Looking back, how we celebrated and rewarded our Rio 2016 medallists – T. Mariyappan, Devendra Jhajharia, Deepa Malik and Varun Bhati – sent a positive signal out. Government awards and support schemes like TOPS were updated to give parity to and include para-athletes and their coaches.

More private organizations began supporting Paralympic hopefuls. Deepa Malik, one of India’s most successful para-athletes in her own right, transitioned into leading the

Paralympic Committee of India

. The movement took shape in a more athlete-centric manner, with learnings for all of Indian sport.

(Medal winners from GoSports Foundation)

10 years ago, what made the GoSports Foundation take up the cause of para-athletes and invest in them?

We’ve always believed in the diversity of India’s sporting potential, and the role of sport in changing the way we look at ourselves and each other. In 2011, we started working with para-swimmer Sharath Gayakwad and learned a lot from him and through his experiences. There was practically no institutional support for para-athletes then. When Rahul Dravid joined our advisory board, he encouraged us to look at underserved sports.

We began working with more para-athletes, including Pramod Bhagat, Manoj Sarkar and Niranjan Mukundan. In 2014-15, we finally built out a programme dedicated to Paralympic prospects. This has enabled us to support over 50 para-athletes, including athletes who won three of the four medals at Rio, and now athletes who won four of the gold medals and eight of the medals at Tokyo. Our team also met each of our prior Paralympic medallists and, with the support of Sachin Tendulkar, handed over cash awards to them. Participating in this slice of Indian sporting history will always remain special to us.

What were the challenges in finding sponsors for the program?

With limited coverage and participation opportunities, it wasn’t easy to get sponsors on board. By the time the company law changed to make training support for Olympic and Paralympic athletes CSR-eligible, we had worked with enough para-athletes to build out our customised programme. We were fortunate to find visionary CSR partners in IndusInd Bank, Sony Pictures Networks and AT&T India, all of whom have remained generous supporters. Sometimes, all it takes is one or two organisations or people to look into the future, and imagine what can be created. Much credit must go to our GoSports Foundation team, led by Deepthi Bopaiah, for the tireless and committed work with both donors and athletes.

What according to you are the areas of improvement in para-sport?

We must keep the momentum going. Aspiring para-athletes must be able to complete official classification and participate in thoughtfully organised competitions, without the disproportionate physical, emotional and financial costs they bear today. Adapted sports equipment and stadia must be made accessible.

We need more coaches trained on adapted sports and safe sports protocols. Medical attention and sports science study would also help. Persons with disabilities must be represented in sports management and administration. Media and broadcast coverage of para-sport can increase, adding audio description and sign language interpretation. More monetary support is essential, but it needs to be supported by detailed policies and plans. Good governance and a rights-based approach, involving multiple stakeholders, must drive this change.

We must also have broader conversations. Institutional programmes and facilities must enable recreational play for persons with disabilities. Each of us can also find ways to include our disabled friends and peers in whatever it is we play. Mainstream schools must also develop the knowhow and will to enable students with disabilities to participate in everyday school sport. Students with disabilities can get bogged down by the challenges of accessing and keeping up with academic content. Physical activity can end up being seen as a bonus. The default must be moved to inclusion rather than exclusion.

What is the way forward for para-sport in the country?

Our Paralympic athletes have shown us what is possible when persons with disabilities are provided the additional support they need. I’m sure the

Sports Ministry

, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and our sports federations have seen the public response and recognise sport's potential. I hope this performance also starts thousands of conversations among parents and their children, employers and their employees, governments and their citizens, whether personally dealing with disability or not: on sport, on equity, on reasonable accommodations our society must make for people with disabilities and, more broadly, on our common and inter-dependent futures.