Government apathy an added challenge

By Shimon Sharif

5 May 2012. How would you react if you are asked to board the train when it has already picked up speed, or worse still, it has already left the platform?

Naresh Sharma

The Indian Paralympic shooting team for the IPC World Cup in Turkey encountered a similar --- rather more difficult --- problem when they got the government approval to travel late on May 1 and boarded the flight early on May 2, knowing well that they were taking a calculated risk as the competition had already started on April 30.

The team reach the venue at Antalya at 2:30 pm but by that time the air rifle competition, in which Naresh Kumar Sharma had to shoot, had already started.

Left with little choice, Naresh --- with 99% dissability and paralysed from waist below --- pleaded with the organisers and the jury and he was finally allowed to shoot the second detail at 4:15 pm. With barely any time to freshen up or overcome the fatigue of a nine-hour journey, the physically challenged marksman rushed empty stomach to the equipment control and medical rooms before heading to the competition arena.

Naresh is the only paralympic shooter to have qualified for the London Paralympic Games and if he has to grapple with the Indian officialdom in this manner, it's anybody's guess what obstacles the others might be facing.

Coach of Indian Paralympic team, Sudhir Tomar, said, "Had the team got the government clearance two days in advance, the results would have been much better.

"I don't think other countries treat their athletes like this. Naresh is the only shooter from the country to have made it to the IPC World Cup finals in a long time and this is the treatment meted out to him," said Tomar.

Naresh shot a 574 (94,96,95,96,96,97) to qualify for the finals and then went on to shoot 99.4 to move up two places. The gold medal was won by Lurii Stoiev (Ukr) with a score of 689.3 (589+100.3), while the silver went to Franc Pinter (Slo) 687.9 (587+100.9).

At the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, Naresh had finished fifth after an impressive showing in 50m rifle prone. He had recently told indianshooting.com that he was completely dependent on government support for London Games preparations. Despite such creditable performances, Naresh, who is a medal hope at London, is still without a sponsor.

Being repeatedly shot down by one and all, Naresh's unflinching belief in himself is what keeps him going. indianshooting.com