Close on the heels of International Paralympic Committee’s suspension of Paralympic Committee of India, the Sports Ministry on Wednesday suspended the recognition of PCI with immediate effect for poor management and conduct of National Para Athletics Championships in Ghaziabad in March. The ministry said that an inquiry conducted by Sports Authority of India has found that the PCI has failed miserably in providing adequate facilities to the para-athletes during the March 20-22 Ghaziabad event.
The government’s action came a week after IPC, on April 15, suspended the PCI “indefinitely” for infighting and poor treatment of the para-athletes. The PCI was earlier served a show-cause notice by the ministry to explain why it should not be de-recognised for the Ghaziabad fiasco. The ministry, in its order on Wednesday, said that the PCI has not been functioning in the best interest of para-sport for which it was granted recognition, as there has been large scale dis-satisfaction among players and stakeholders and it has violated the terms and conditions of recognition as well as provisions of its own constitution.
“Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has suspended the recognition of PCI with immediate effect till further orders. In a communication sent to PCI, the Ministry has said that the decision has been taken in the wake of numerous serious complaints about poor management/conduct of the 15th National Para Athletics Championships 2015 held from 20th-22nd March, 2015 in Ghaziabad in all aspects viz. logistics, technical, administrative, etc,” the ministry said in a release. The PCI was recognised by Government of India in November 2011 as a National Sports Federation for promotion of sports amongst physically challenged sportspersons in the country.