Mumbai: The 21 para-athletes who are part of the IndusInd Bank’s ‘Para Champions Programme’ will represent the country at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo between 24 August and 5 September. The programme was launched in 2015, in partnership with the GoSports Foundation with an objective to support para-athletes across various sports disciplines.
These 21 athletes comprise nearly 40 per cent of the overall Indian contingent who will compete with the best in the world across disciplines such as javelin throw, shooting, swimming, archery, badminton, high jump and more.
IndusInd Bank, through its non-banking sports vertical- ‘IndusInd for Sports’ supports programmes under the Corporate Social Responsibility Act 2013, that straddle the worlds of women athletes, able-bodied rural champions as well as elite para-athletes, with the sole purpose of bringing out the best in each of them.
Speaking on the qualifications, IndusInd Bank head – commercial & rural banking & in-charge of IndusInd for Sports, Sanjeev Anand said, “It is a matter of great pride to witness 21 of the Bank’s supported Para Champions represent India at the Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo. In fact, 40 per cent of the overall contingent that will represent the country are part of this programme, which itself, is a momentous achievement. We shall now wait to see them take centre stage with some of the best para-athletes across the globe, and wish them the very best for all their endeavours thereafter. Through our partnership with the GoSports Foundation, we aim to keep supporting all our para-athletes by providing them with the necessary resources in their quest to bring more laurels to the country. We do hope that the initiative goes on to inspire many others by bridging social barriers, building social acceptance, and creating circles of excellence in the years to come.”
The para-athletes supported by the bank and who will represent India at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games across a wide range of para-disciplines such as badminton, archery, and javelin-throw include Rakesh Kumar, Sandeep Chaudhary, Sharad Kumar, Amit Kumar Saroha, Jyoti Baliyan among others.
The programme currently supports 43 para-athletes across seven disciplines from 14 states across the country by helping them fulfill their nutrition, fitness & conditioning, medical support as well as domestic & international training requirements. The programme also takes care of expenses incurred towards coaching, competition fee, sports science, daily living expenses, equipment & gear, apparel, mentorship, among others, the bank said in a statement. "The narrative of para-sports has moved forward ever since the Rio Paralympics, and now entering its sixth term, the programme is also in alignment with several objectives of the SDGs to ensure sustainability and larger impact. Under this programme, the para-athletes have won a total of 615 medals until June 2021," it added.
