Para sport is one of the social fields where the challenge of an objective representation of disability becomes particularly important due to the ever-increasing amount of media attention to the Para Sports as a global sports event and some persisting stereotypes in media representation of athletes with disabilities.
Although eight percent of Sri Lanka’s population lives with some kind of disability, media publicity of people with disabilities who are engaged in sports is still scarce and often anchored in stereotypes and social stigma. Physical signs of difference related to disability result in prejudice, labeling, status loss, and discrimination.
There is a huge gap between the public/corporate sector and the National Paralympic Committee’s (NPC Sri Lanka) needs and aspirations where the NPC promotes, manages and prepare athletes for International participation unlike the NOC.
There is vast human investment with regards to time and energy that we spend upon. The sole purpose of our attempts are to uplift the quality and performances of our athletes and bring fame to the nation through their triumphs on world stage.
Resilience is the core at NPC as we confront challenges every often which is a gigantic task that face in everyday life despite our disabilities.
The most recent and the foremost challenging issue we have at present is to raise funds to participate at the Asian Youth Para Games that will take place in Dubai from 07 up to 14 December where 09 Athletes in different categories of sports disciplines have been selected through a long and strict professions selection process.
So far Sri Lanka National Paralympic Committee (NPC) has not been able receive support and encouragement financially through the Government and the Corporate sector apart from the uniforms from our clothing partner, MAS Holdings and Dialog Axiata, their principle sponsor for an amount of one million rupees that too which will be granted only upon the completion of the Youth games on 14 December.
The future of Para Sports in Sri Lanka is depended upon the Youth Athletes, the future Paralympians. But as at now we have not been able to secure funds and obtain relevant approvals.
Due to the Bureaucracy that persists from top to bottom, NPC have not been able to get the necessary corporation from certain sectors in the country and our pleads have gone unheard of and it is pity that the NPC’s values are appreciated only by a few sadly
It will once again be a thoroughly disappointed affair if the tour is not happening for the simple reason of being unable to secure funds by the end of the month and all the efforts go in vain that NPC has been put in since the month of May this year to make it a success.
More over the athletes and their parents will be shocked and psychologically shaken if the tour would not go ahead as planned and will be utterly discouraged in the sport itself as they are well prepared to embark on the tour under expert coaching staff and managers in para sports and are in the final phase of intensive training at present.
Therefore it is believe that the time is ripe for all the stake holders to rally and advocate the rights of People with Disabilities through your media coverage’s to spread this news by which we also need to emphasize that Para Sports is a vibrant force in the disability sector and it development.
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