Parabadminton player awaiting for his dues by PCI since June 2022
It was during the 2022 Para badminton International when the athlete, Sanjeev kumar along with his four teammates had to pay the organizers to access their accommodation and the venue.
Indian officials who were responsible for the team started playing a blame game. In June 2023 before the next edition, an email was sent from Joran Bridal, the Executive Director of Badminton Canada regarding the pending invoice of $2,480.
In the mail it clearly stated that only after the payment is done will the player be let into their accommodation and competition venue.
This led to an international embarrassment as the players were asked to vacate their hotel because the balance invoice was unpaid.
“We were told to pay for accommodation and entry fees ourselves. We had no choice but to pay out of our own pockets. Since we paid all the dues, we had to borrow money for meals” Sanjeev Kumar stated.
A receipt issued by badminton Canada confirms that Sanjeev Kumar paid $710 (around 59,500) to cover the fees and accommodation. Para badminton official under the BAI said the amount was paid to PCI to cover expenses including entry fees.
The blame game just keeps going on whereas player, Sanjeev Kumar who has sent numerous reminders for refund still awaits a positive response from Para badminton chairman (Prabhakar rao)