Paralympic champion Kumar Nitesh, fed up with the Badminton Association of India (BAI)’s lack of recognition and internal politics, has demanded that para-badminton be moved under the auspices of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) to further the sport’s development.
The 29-year-old Haryana native said para shuttlers should be treated equally to their able-bodied colleagues after winning a historic gold medal in the SL3 class at the Paris Paralympics.
Kumar told PTI, “We have won five medals at the Paralympics, fourteen or fifteen at the World Championships, and twenty-one medals at the Asian Para Games, but we don’t receive basic appreciation from BAI.”
This is a persistent problem; it is a familiar one. They continue to focus only on able-bodied competitors, making little attempt to advance para-badminton. Kumar also took to social media to voice his displeasure when BAI used Twitter to praise the para shuttlers on their performance in Paris.
Even though @BAI_Media occasionally posts positive comments on social media, the athletes are extremely disappointed with BAI’s lack of enthusiasm for para-badminton.
Kumar added, “We sincerely request that PCI, which has a better track record of supporting para-sports, be given control of para-badminton from @Media_SAI and BAI.”