Avani Lekhara received the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. (IANS Photo)
Para-athletes Avani Lekhara and Bhavna Patel but among the recipients of Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
- IANS New Delhi
- Last Update:November 14, 2021, 2:51 pm IS
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Para-shooter Avani Lekhara has made the nation proud by winning not one but two medals at the recently concluded Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. For this achievement, he was selected for the Major Dhyan Singh Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest sports award. But the one thing she is fighting for is her fight against inhospitable environments. Traveling on a wheel chair is never easy and Avni has realized this since childhood. Another champion athlete from India Bhavna Patel won silver medal in table tennis at the Tokyo 2020 Para Games. He was selected for the prestigious Arjuna Award this year. Accompanied by Avni with accolades and rewards, Bhavna shares her pain and problems as she is also a wheelchair-restricted athlete.
Swayamvar, a charitable trust that promotes accessibility for the disabled, then came to the rescue of champion para-athletes and enabled them in an easy commute to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the National Awards ceremony on Saturday.
Swayamvar, with its specially modified vehicles, enables wheelchairs to be carried directly inside the vehicle, so these players usually have to overcome the embarrassment they face while travelling.
“These vehicles have been a great revelation and understand the needs of athletes on wheel-chairs. We have to wear a saree for the ceremony and if it was not for these vehicles, it would have been almost impossible for us to be in official attire. It’s a start and I hope it sends the message that we need an accessible environment for all.”
“Swayam has not only provided these vehicles, but also made some rooms accessible for wheelchair athletes at Ashoka Hotel, where we are staying. Now is the time for us to understand that access is a big issue not only for people with disabilities, but also for the elder and the injured,” said Bhavna, an Arjuna awardee.
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