Karnataka Wheelchair Cricket

Para sports is still considered as a charity event in India where we strongly believe sports can be very competitive and even the best para-sports is still considered as a charity event in India.

Core challenges for para-sports in India:

1. Infrastructure: Lack of dedicated infrastructure for para-sports and limited access to the common infrastructure like Cricket grounds, Tennis court, Basketball court, etc., which are not accessible to in terms of physical and usage to our athletes and membership in sports clubs are very expensive.

2. Sponsorship: Hardship of getting sponsors for para-sports is a daunting task due to various reasons, and corruption and disorganised sector of sports associations are not helping the cause. Deserving para-athlete spends most of his time hunting sponsors than training in the field.

3. Specialized Coaching: Huge demand for the specialized coach who lacks awareness about different types of disability and physical capability of an athlete. There is no specialized coach/trainer available to train athletes on wheelchairs.

4. Special Equipment: Most of the equipment used in para-sports has to be customised to need of Indian athlete or has to imported from other countries like the US & China, which bound to be expensive. Even the basic beginner level equipment (Sports Wheelchair) has been imported from China.

Other key issues are lack of sports policy, public acceptance, recognition, media attention, and appreciation.

Plan of Action by DMSA:

Events: organize multiple events in Wheelchair Cricket, Kabbadi, Tennis & Basketball and plan coaching camps for beginners in different regions to encourage participation and build a competitive environment.

Sponsorship: Provide sponsorship to represent State/Country for travel and logistics for the deserving athlete to motivate him to opt as a career and continue playing the sport which is the best rehabilitation for people with disability.

Equipment: Provide high-end equipment for qualified athletes like advanced wheelchairs and sporting goods which is essential for their practice and compete at the highest level.

Infrastructure: On a longer vision is to build our own dedicated sports complex with multi-sport facility for para-athletes and for an immediate effect to tie-up with sports club as a paid membership, lease government sports infrastructure, and schools.

Awareness: Creating awareness through print & social media and involving the general public through volunteering to address acceptance issues and organize events where physically able players challenge para-athletes in the game of sport.

Recognition: Organize private Award function to felicitate and nominate the best sports personality in a different sport and provide a cash prize to encourage and appreciate their efforts.

Coaches: Run "Train a Trainer" program which encourages seasoned athletes to take Coach role.

Over the past years, our NGO has achieved several remarkable milestones:

We organised national wheelchair cricket tournament in association with UP, Haryana and Punjab wheelchair cricket associations for the first time in India comprising 12 teams from 4 different zones. DMSA also organised South Wheelchair Cricket League in Bangalore from 02nd to 04th Feb 2018 in which Teams - Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kanyakumari participated.

South Zone wheelchair cricket coaching camp in Mysore, where more than 70 differently abled participated and were instrumental in the formation of Kerala and Tamilnadu state teams.

Within two years, four Indian wheelchair cricket players, Shiva Prasad (Vice-captain of India) and Tippeswamy (Opening Batsman), Hareesh and Sagar have been produced.

DMSA continuously takes part in various events like wheelchair marathons, wheelchair basketball tournaments, wheelchair tennis tournaments held for the people with disability. Our players are doing well in various sports, not just at the national but also international levels.

We are a team of differently-abled people who can very well understand the problems of the people of our community. Hence, we want to give in our best efforts to do everything we can for the upliftment of para-sports in India. Our future goals include setting up the handicapped friendly gym for keeping our players fit, the inclusion of coaching facilities for para table-tennis, lawn-tennis, basketball, and badminton. We have the goals to train players in various sports so that they can make full use of their potentials to make India proud at international events.