Nothing can undo the loss of national pride and honour that local organisers of the IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports federation) Games caused this week. With over 600 athletes and dozens of top officials and delegates of 43 countries arriving in Bangalore, the city — and in effect, the country — was shown up for what it really is: an indifferent, listless society that cares neither about sport nor about the needs of the physically-challenged.
The issue, of course, is not just that we were shown in a bad light — the physically/ mentally challenged must be treated sensitively whether they are Indians or foreigners.
However, one expected the minimum standards that we as hosts were obliged to maintain - ramps for the wheelchair-bound; low, disabled-friendly toilets; low-floor buses; communication officials; volunteers in uniforms, venues ready to host events.
Instead, what one saw was shocking, to say the least: unusable toilets, inaccessible and musty stadiums, clueless officials, and cramped vans which athletes struggled to get in and out of. To have disabled-unfriendly systems in our country is bad enough; to invite people from overseas and expect them to put up with our mess is despicable.
As sportswriters, members of my tribe are used to the seamy underbelly of Indian sports administration. We've seen poor infrastructure and shoddy organisation before, but the IWAS was like a slap in our face. I squirmed when the technical director of the Games referred to our cultural traits that allowed this to happen. "Come to Holland — you will see what a show we will put up there," he said. It was an affront to whatever national pride I had - but there was nothing to say, because whatever he'd said was the truth. One official even mentioned that he'd seen better organisation in war-torn Rwanda when they'd had a volleyball seminar there for the disabled.
All this, of course, detracted from the most astounding spectacles one got to see in Bangalore — athletes who had lost one or both legs or arms, some confined to wheelchairs because of polio or accident; some who had fought depression and drink and drugs; and yet — all of them accomplishing things that required superhuman effort. Each was testimony to the unconquerable human spirit. Bangalore is lucky to have them. It's a shame we didn't treat them better.
