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The 33-member Indian team which participated in the ongoing Paralympic Games was felicitated by the country’s High Commissioner to the UK — Jaimini Bhagwati — at the India House here.
In his brief address, Bhagwati told the team, “as far as we are concerned, this is as important as the other part of the Olympics.”
The cynosure of all eyes at the reception was Girisha Hosanagara Nagaraje Gowda, who won the only medal for India — a silver in the Men’s High Jump F42 event.
The 24-year old from Karnataka, who has an impairment in his left leg and sailed over a height of 1.74m using scissors technique in the final of the event said, “next time I will win gold’’.
Ratan Singh, Chef de Mission, said: “I am extremely happy with India winning at least a silver. We were expecting four medals. We missed narrowly two medals in Powerlifting and Long Jump.”
Asked about the controversy over the absence of escorts and coaches initially, he said: “We had only 10 athletes and we had a quota for six and I allotted two officials, two escorts and two coaches.
“The athletes wanted personal coaches. Subsequently after a word with the Sports Authority of India, I sent two officials and got two more escorts in.”
“Overall, I am pretty satisfied and the Organising Committee has done an excellent job,” he said.
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