National level table tennis player Vishwa Deendayalan died in a road accident in June while on his way to Shillong for an inter-state tournament. Even after more than a month, his parents are still waiting for the compensation. They have not yet received any response from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) regarding the insurance cover available under Khelo India. The sports world was shocked by the death of an 18-year-old player on his way from Guwahati to Shillong on April 17. Others, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, expressed their condolences.
Vishwa’s father Deendayalan told The Indian Express that it has been more than three weeks since he wrote to the Sports Ministry and SAI on the issue of insurance coverage, but no response has been received so far. He said passionately, “We had high expectations from the world. He kept telling me that he would qualify for the World Championships this year. I prayed to God to keep me alive until I saw him play in the Olympics. But he is no more. We have lost everything.”
Deendayalan, 58, is unemployed after losing his job in the HR department of a multinational company in Chennai in 2020. His wife Anuradha runs her home in the city. “We are living on our savings,” he said. When contacted by The Indian Express, Sai said Vishwa was not covered under the rules as he was “trainee in the final cycle (June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022) at an academy recognized by the National Center of Excellence or Khelo India. were not.
The Tamil Nadu player was a sub-junior and junior national champion and was part of the senior India team. Seen as a rising star, the player trained at the Krishnaswamy TT Club in Chennai, an unrecognized centre. It does not matter because of recognized or unrecognized academies as per a document uploaded on Khelo India website. The Khelo India Athletes (KIAs) trained in unrecognized academies have been told under the funding that they will also be given insurance claim benefits.
Deendayalan said he “saw the document that all Khelo India athletes were insured” and “read in the newspapers” about it. He wants the government to look into the matter “sympathetically” as his son was “on national duty” when the accident happened. When asked about the criteria posted on its website, SAI said, “Khelo India athletes insured in SAI National Center of Excellence and Khelo India accredited centers in the insurance cycle from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 was. Athletes training at unrecognized academies were allowed reimbursement of claims for self-insurance. ,
Vishwa’s father says that he was not made aware of this policy. “If that was the case, we should have been told and we would have taken private insurance and submitted the required documents.” The Khelo India (KI) program was launched in 2018 with an aim to develop sports at the grassroots level. 5 lakhs per year is provided financial assistance among other benefits to the promising sportspersons selected by the committee. Sai in his statement said that he will help the family. He has advised the family to apply for a one-time grant from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports under the Deendayal Upadhyaya Fund. Under this fund an athlete is entitled to a total of around Rs 5 lakh.