Essar Foundation helps international wheelchair fencer in Rio Paralympics 2016 quest
Essar Foundation believes that actions speak more than words. While we celebrated World CSR Day (18 February 2016) in Mumbai, the foundation went ahead and sponsored Vibhas Sen, a two-time gold medalist in national wheelchair fencing, in his journey to the Rio Paralympics 2016. Vibhas Sen along with five other fellow fencers will represent India at the IWAS Asian Wheelchair Fencing Championships 2016, Hong Kong.
Participating in international championships is a costly affair especially in India, where securing government aid is equivalent to finding water in a desert. Despite several attempts to secure funding from the Sports Authority of India (under whose ambit fencing comes), Ministry of Sports, and the Maharashtra State Government, Vibhas returned disheartened with not a single rupee in aid to represent our very own nation in the international games.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility came to the forefront for the funding of the IWAS Asian Wheelchair Fencing Championships 2016 of this budding sportsman. However, the road to the Rio Paralympics 2016 is still two competitions away. If the corporate sector continues to aid our country’s sportsmen, the day is not far when India’s treasury would be filled with gold and silver medals won in the Paralympics and Olympics.