Para-athlete Kanchanmala Pande has claimed that she had to borrow money from a fellow swimmer to pay a fine for ticket-less travel in Berlin as the Paralympic Committee of India had not given her enough funds for her stay in Germany, ANI reported on Wednesday.
“The Berlin trip was sanctioned by the government,” Pande told ANI. “The Paralympic Committee of India said they could not give us any money as their account was blocked.”
The panel, however, said that there was no court-appointed chairperson to distribute the funds, which was what had led to the situation. Sports Minister Vijay Goel has promised to look into the matter.
Pande and five other Indian athletes were in Germany to participate in the Berlin Para Swimming Championship.
PCI Vice President Gursharan Singh said that the committee could not be held accountable for the incident as releasing funds needed the approval of Justice (reitred) Kailash Gambhir.
“The sanctioned amount from the Sports Authority of India came five days before the departure of the athletes, but we could not withdraw the money as it needs the approval of the chairman of the committee appointed by the Delhi High Court,” Singh told PTI, adding that the chairperson was unavailable.
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