City girls may miss special Olympics

Delay in issuing passports may cost three mentally challenged girls the chance to participate in Athens games

City girls may miss special Olympics

Delay in issuing passports may cost three mentally challenged girls the chance to participate in Athens games

THREE years of intense training and the opportunity to represent the country at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens may go waste for three mentally- challenged girls from the city because of a delay in the issuance of their passports.

Badminton player Sakhu Nagarkar, volleyball player Heena and cyclist Meri Manda are yet to receive their passports. Only handball player Kavita Chavan (second from right) has got hers

Officials at the Home for Mentally Deficient Children in Mankhurd, which is the legal guardian of four children selected for the event, had applied for their passports on January 15.

They had been running from pillar to post ever since to ensure that the passports were issued before March 8, the deadline for submission of the passport numbers to the International Olympics Committee. But the passport of only one girl reached them. The three others may now have to miss out on the event.

Two of the girls were selected in an individual capacity and the other two as part of teams. Handball player Kavita Chavan (16) got the passport, while badminton player Sakhu Nagarkar (32), volleyball player Heena (24) and cycling champ Meri Manda (30) are still awaiting theirs.

Volleyball player Heena: Yet to get her passport

"We had submitted the passport applications with all the necessary documents to the Regional Passport Office in Worli on January 15.
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We had even furnished the selection letters of the girls issued by the Olympics Committee and the special permission obtained from the Child Welfare Committee. But the officials are delaying the passports for legal reasons," said the home's superintendent, Anil Gite.

"The police verification was done well in time and the juvenile court had also issued a special order, but the passport officials seem to have sat on the applications.
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They have now given the excuse of some legal issues, but have declined to tell us what these are. They have not told us anything specific," said another official from the home, requesting anonymity.

What next?

Sandra Vaz, area director, Special Olympics Bharat Maharashtra, said, "The deadline to submit the passport numbers to the International Olympics Committee expired today, I don't know whether these girls can represent India now. Officials at the Home have been asking for more time to submit the passports for the last 15 days.

Handball player Kavita Chavan: Got her passport and will participate in the Games

I am surprised that all four girls applied for the passports at the same time but only one could get it. I am worried that the girls may miss their chance and am trying to request the international authorities to extend the deadline as a special case."

said an official, "If the deadline is not extended, the Olympics Committee in the city will have to make some other girls take these girls' places."

Wasted effort?

This is not the first time that special children from the Home will represent India at the international level. Since 1999, many of its children have gone abroad and won medals in individual capacities.

The quartet selected for the Games are special girls who are slow learners. Staff at the Home has been working hard to train the girls in the sporting activities they showed promise in for three years.

Badminton player Sakhu Nagarkar: Yet to get her passport

They also had a tough time getting sponsors for the expensive equipment. While Nagarkar's badminton racquet was purchased for Rs 2,000, Manda's cycle cost more than Rs 10,000.

According to the girls' trainer, they have qualified for the district, state and national levels. He said that learning the skills required to play a sport is extremely difficult for these children, as even executing routine tasks is a challenge for them.

The Other Side
Assistant Passport Officer B S Rokade, who is the approving authority for the girls' passport applications, said, "There were some errors in the application forms. The names were not entered correctly. But, we will get it rectified now and I will personally look into the matter."

When MiD DAY contacted Vinay Chaube, an IPS officer who is heading the Regional Passport Office in Worli, he said, "I was not aware of the problems faced by the girls. I will instruct the concerned officials and ensure the problem is solved immediately."

Cycling champ Meri Manda: Yet to get her passport

Varsha Gaikwad, minister for woman and child welfare, said, "I know these girls from the children's home as I had met them there last month. I did not, however, know about this problem. I will follow up the issue myself and do the needful."

Fast facts
> The Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011 will be held from June 25 to July 4
> 7,500 Athletes from 185 countries will compete in 22 Olympic-type sports
> 100 boys, 88 girls and 48 coaches will represent India
> Indian teams and players will participate in 13 events
> The children's home in Mankhurd has 170 girls and 125 boys in the age group of 6 to 18. Some children stay in the home even after attaining adulthood by taking permission from the court