Country’s top para-athletes including two-time Paralympic champion Devendra Jhajharia, two-time world champion Sundar Singh Gurjar and Para Badminton ace Parul Parmar attended the Cairn Oil and Gas and Paralympic Committee of India (PCI)- organised webinar held to mark the National Youth Day on Jan. 12, 2021.
The webinar, titled – Abhipreran – A Motivational Talk by Para Athletes of India, also had the presence of PCI President Dr. Deepa Malik who attended it as one of the guests of honour besides seven other Para athletes (participants) including Sandeep Mann, Abu Hubaida and promising names like Rudransh Khandelwal.
All these 10 athletes—from Rajasthan and Gujarat—are being supported by Cairn Foundation under an MoU signed between PCI and the former in December 2019.
Expressing gratitude to Cairn Oil and Gas for their support towards the Paralympic Movement over the years, Dr. Malik said: "The support to 10 athletes has come at the right time when PCI is looking to make the organisation athlete-centric and work towards the promotion at grassroot level. It is also a great boost for the athletes who are preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games."
The PCI president emphasised that this kind of support will have a positive impact in the society. "It will enable the Para athletes to be change makers, to be important citizens of the country who can make their county proud winning medals. Thus, it is their moral responsibility and accountability to do something big with their hard work and determination; make their own lives and the country better."
Meanwhile, the Para athletes shared their inspirational journeys and spoke about how the Paralympic Movement in the country has improved over the years.
They also thanked the Cairn Foundation for their support which has taken the financial burden off to some extent in regard to their training, nutrition and physiotherapy etc. "When an athlete wins a medal, it’s not just because of his hard work but a team working behind him that includes coaches, family, sponsors etc. Thus, support from various corporates is also very crucial in building a champion," said Jhajharia, a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awardee.
Annanya Agarwal, President, Vedanta Sports, also graced the webinar and praised the "indominable spirit and perseverance of the Para athletes". He was happy that his organisation could contribute in the journeys of the heroes.
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