For disabled athletes,hurdles are off the field

Athletes,especially those who are wheelchair-bound,have found no access ramps at the Sree Kanteerva Indoor and Outdoor Stadium where track and field events are being held,or at the Koramangala indoor stadium. The infrastructure was built up ahead of the 1997 National Games hosted by Karnataka.

At the track and field stadium,clumsy wooden planks were laid across entrances on Wednesday to enable the entry of athletes. The stands in the stadium,however,still remained out of bounds.

Commuting between the hotels and event venues has also been a terrible experience for the athletes,with organisers deploying high-floor buses and taxis that athletes have been struggling to get in and out of,let alone finding space for wheelchairs. Those choosing to use public transport were struggling too. Toilets at the stadium have also not been user-friendly.

Its been a nightmare from the time we arrived. Facilities here are not disabled-friendly at all. At the hotel where we have been put up,there is no wheelchair access to the food area. It has been very difficult, Jagtar Singh,the manager of the two-member Singapore team said. The two Singapore athletes had to wait for an SUV provided by the organisers to arrive,and getting into that was a struggle as well. Folded wheelchairs were loaded onto the top of the vehicle.

Are there no low-floor vehicles that the athletes can get into? All these cars and buses are very difficult for the disabled to use, an official accompanying the German team asked.

Even ramps,where they have been provided,are too steep,Finland athlete Esa Mattila said.

Many of the teams have complained to the organisers about the facilities provided by the Paralympic Committee of India.

High jumper M N Gireesha,who won a bronze for the first medal for India at the event on Wednesday,said the difficulties faced by foreign participants were a part of their everyday struggle to fit into life in a city like Bangalore.