Sports News | SAI Asks PCI to Submit Report After COVID-19 Protocols Breach at National Para Athletics

Bengaluru, Mar 24 (PTI) Sports Authority of India on Wednesday sought a report from the Paralympic Committee of India after it emerged that facilities here at the National Para Athletics championship are not wheelchair-friendly and COVID-19 protocols are also "not being adhered to".

A qualification event for the Tokyo Paralympics, the tournament to be held from March 24 to 27 was shifted here from Chennai at a short notice on March 20, leading to discrepancies in the conduct of the event.

SAI has asked the national federation to immediately sort out the issues.

"It has been brought to the notice of Sports Authority of India that the facility in Bengaluru at which the Para Athletics National Championships is not wheelchair-friendly and that Standard Operating Procedures for prevention of COVID-19 are not being adhered to," SAI said in a statement.

"SAI has written to PCI to ensure that these issues are sorted at the earliest and the competition is conducted in a safe and successful manner. SAI has sought a report from the Federation in this regard."

Rio gold medallist T Mariyappan (high jump T 42) and Sandeep Chaudhary (world record holder in Javelin F 44 category) are among the 900 athletes from 27 states and union territories who would be vying for top honours in the next three days at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium and Vidyanagar Stadium.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)