In a bid to return to the international parent organisation and end difficulties faced by the para-athletes, the rival factions of suspended Paralympic Committee of India have decided to come together and hold elections for a new united body in an extraordinary General Body Meeting next month.
The PCI was suspended by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in April mainly because of the factional fight and the world governing body has said that the ban will continue till the internal feud ends and a "refreshed organisation emerges to develop para-sports in India".
With the 2016 Paralympics just one year away and with doubts emerging over whether the government would sanction money for athletes for the Rio Para Games if they are not going to represent the country, the two main factions of para-sports in the country have decided to come together after reaching a compromise formula.
One faction is led by Nale Nandakishore (acting president) and this was the 'official' para-sports body in the country until it was suspended by the IPC and derecognised by the Sports Ministry in April. The other faction is led by BJP Member of Parliament Rao Inderjeet Singh.
"Para-athletes have been suffering due to the suspension of PCI by the IPC. Now the Rio Paralympics is just one year away and a lot of qualifying events are going on. We felt that in the interest of para-athletes we need to come together," J Chandrashekar, Secretary General of the 'official' PCI until it was suspended by the IPC, told PTI.
"We (the two factions) have signed a Compromise Deed on September 2 in New Delhi to form a United Paralympic Committee of India. We have called for an extraordinary GBM at Surajkund, Haryana, on October 8 to elect the office bearers of the new body," he added.
