Creation of Helpline For Athletes Must: Abhinav Bindra Writes to Sports Ministry

The creation of a helpline for athletes would be a fantastic initiative, Bindra wrote.

Edited By: Sylvester Tamang

Updated: July 15, 2017, 2:58 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/sports/creation-of-helpline-for-athletes-must-abhinav-bindra-writes-to-sports-ministry-2322339/ Copy

File Image of Abhinav Bindra

India’s Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra on Saturday wrote a letter to the Sports Minister Vijay Goel requesting for a helpline number for the well-being of athletes.

This development comes days after Indian para-swimmer Kanchanmala Pande was reportedly left to fend for herself without enough finance in Berlin where she was participating in the Para Swimming Championships.

According to several reports, Kanchanmala was forced to borrow money from a friend and reportedly fined for travelling without a ticket in public transports, after claiming she had not been provided enough funds from the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).

Also read: Indian Para-Athlete Forced to Beg in Berlin After Being Ignored by Sports Authorities

“The recent incident of our Paralympic athlete in Berlin raises a larger question of athlete management. Things like these continue to happen in Indian sport and leaves everybody in a bad taste and overshadows a lot of good work that is done. In this regard I have a suggestion. The creation of a helpline for all athletes especially when in a foreign country to solve matters of extreme concern and having a contingency fund for unforeseen situations to provide just in time support to athletes would be a fantastic initiative to be taken up by the Sports Ministry”, the letter stated.

A suggestion submitted to the honourable minister @VijayGoelBJP pic.twitter.com/GJ4wbcqrkV

— Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) July 15, 2017

Following the reports, the sports minister subsequently requested the PCI to submit a report within ten days, saying in a statement on Thursday: “The Ministry through SAI released Rs 3.21 Lakhs as 75 percent of dues as advance payment to Para Olympic Committee of India (PCI) in time and arranged tickets etc. This amount was transferred in the account of PCI on 22nd June, 2017. Since the amount was transferred to the account of PCI, the players should not have been put to any hardship.”

Kanchanmala, who is completely blind but swims in the S11 category, had to face extreme misery during her trip to Berlin because of alleged slip-ups by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).