The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : They prove they’re game for it all and win laurels

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 29, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

They prove they’re game for it all and win laurels

R. Sujatha

Youngsters with physical disabilities show their mettle at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Games in Taipei

Raj has been playing table tennis since 1997
Joseph learnt wheelchair fencing at a camp

— PHOTO: K.V. SRINIVASAN

WINning DUO: Joseph Suresh and Raj Aravindan, medallists at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Games held recently at Taipei.

CHENNAI: Joseph Suresh and Raj Aravindan are determined youngsters who have won laurels for themselves and for the country.

Joseph and Raj, both 25, won bronze medals at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Games held in Taipei recently. Joseph, secretary of Kanyakumari Handicapped Association, learnt wheelchair fencing at a camp held in the district.

An adaptation of the regular fencing sport, wheelchair fencing was introduced in India recently. Joseph qualified for the sport and represented the country after a month of intensive training. Joseph hopes to participate in the Beijing Olympics for the disabled to be held close on the heels of the regular Olympics.

T. Venkatesan, who won a bronze at Busan Olympics in 2002 for javelin throw, says, “He has got the killing spirit in him.”

Raj Aravindan of Arakkonam works for Denny Steels there and has been playing table tennis since 1997. He is a coach in the Indian Railway Institute. He was ranked 83 before his successful game in Taiwan. “If my ranking improves, I will be within 25 ranks. Then I might represent India at Beijing Olympics,” he says.

“We want our achievement to reach the public. There are so many like us out there,” says Mr. Venkatesan.

C.V. Raghunath, administrative officer of Paralympic Committee of India, says, “Fencing was started only two years ago in India. We held a camp and took them to Malaysia last November. After initial failures, the sportsmen improved with intensive coaching. Joseph and Raj will receive their certificates from the Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mani Shankar Aiyar.”

Special Olympics

Meanwhile, two other sportsmen, one from Chennai and another from Salem, will represent the State at the Special Olympics World Summer Games to be held at Shanghai in China next month. The students, M. Prakash of C.S.I. Ballar Gnana Illam in Salem and Dinesh Kumar of Andhra Mahila Sabha in Chennai, are among the 139 athletes participating in the games.

Prakash will represent the State in athletics while Dinesh will compete in the power lifting category.

The games, though not in the same league as the Olympics, is organised every four years in accordance with Olympics standards. Over 169 countries are expected to send intellectually challenged children. India has participated in the Summer Games since 1987.

Two of the 48 coaches are from Tamil Nadu. A.K. Vela of St. Joseph’s College of Engineering will accompany the students as volley ball coach. The Games will begin on Tuesday. Shiva Kumar, coach and area director of Special Olympics Bharat Tamil Nadu, says, “Racing cycles are not made in our country. This time, TI Cycles has designed special cycles for the games.”

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