One of the basic tenets of RevSportz’s Trailblazers 2.0 Conclave is its inclusivity. This is a reason why Paralympics and Para sport are a big part of it. Chasing the Paralympic Dream encapsulated that.
Britain started the movement long ago, in 1948. “Equality and sensitivity are very important in UK. We started the movement in 1948, after the Second World War, as it was our duty to look after those who gave so much to the War,” said Christina Scott, Acting High Commissioner of the United Kingdom (Britain) to India. As she said, the change now is in the air, almost everywhere. “Society is changing, although there is still some way to go.”
Para-badminton world champion Manasi Joshi has featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Next Generation Leader. Now Para sport is widely followed, does it bring extra pressure. “I cherish those honours, but my mission is to play and enjoy the sport. That eases pressure,” said Manasi.
Suhas Yathiraj, fresh from his gold medal at the 2024 Para-Badminton World Championships, spoke about dividing time between work and passion, training deep into the night to prepare for tournaments. Yathiraj is an IAS officer.
More than talking about himself, he was effusive in his praise for his fellow para-badminton player Pramod Bhagat. “His composure under pressure is exemplary. So is his control over his nutrition,” said Yathiraj.
Bhagat, on the other hand, spoke about Para-badminton and Para sport going through a huge change since the time he started in 2005.
Indian Para-badminton team head coach Gaurav Khanna gave the low-down on the challenges he faced. “In 2015, when I took over, there was no structure available. My challenge was to create an ecosystem,” said Khanna, urging the corporates to come forward even more to back Para-athletes.
Both Yathiraj and Bhagat tipped their hat to the coach.