New Delhi:The visas of six members of the Indian para shooting contingent, including double Paralympic medallist Singharaj Adhana, have been cleared after initial hindrances, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Saturday. The contingent will now be able to travel to Chateauroux, France for the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup. Earlier the six were denied visas, however, the matter was resolved after repeated intervention by the Sports and External Affairs ministries.
"The pending visas of 3 athletes and 4 support staff of the Indian Para Shooters contingent going to France for competition has been cleared by the French embassy after further requests from MYAS and MEA. The team will fly out to France tomorrow," SAI tweeted on Saturday.
The matter first came to light after Tokyo Paralympic Games gold medallist shooter Avani Lekhara took to twitter, seeking help following denial of visa to her escort and mother Shewata Jewaria and coach Rakesh Manpat. Besides, three para shooters -- Singharaj, Rahul Jhakhar and Deepinder Singh (all para pistol shooters) and two coaches Subhas Rana (national coach) and Vivek Saini (assistant coach) did not get their visas initially.