Saina Nehwal finally got her passport for the World Super series badminton masters, after finding herself tangled in bureaucratic dilemma, thanks to the intervention of the external affairs ministry.
Saina gets her passport for World Super Series Masters in Malaysia but is disillusioned the way sportspersons are treated
MUMBAI: Saina Nehwal finally got her passport for the World Super series badminton masters on Saturday, after finding herself tangled in bureaucratic dilemma, thanks to the intervention of the external affairs ministry.
But the shameful episode further reinforces the kind of treatment sportspersons in India are given and Nehwal feels it is high time that players from disciplines other than cricket get recognition. “Would our cricketers or filmstars would have to wait and beg for their passports?” the 18-year-old asked, adding, “The least possible way the authorities can help the sportspersons is by not involving them in these issues,” Nehwal told DNA on phone from Hyderabad.
“This just shows how muh respect other players get. We work day and night to win medals for the country. I play tournaments almost every week and waiting just for passport renewal for weeks is really shameful. They should do that within 24 hours,” she said.
Nehwal had qualified for the Yonex Sunrise World super Series Masters finals starting on Thursday, December 18, after two of the Chinese shuttlers pulled out of the event.
The Olympic quarterfinalist will now apply for visa in Chennai on Monday for the prestigious event that begins in Malaysia. “At the beginning of the year, I never thought that I would be a part of this tournament. I lost hopes until Mr Swaminathan (Chief Passport Officer) intervened,” she said before adding that she lost precious time to practice for the tournament.
This would be Saina’s first tournament since she broke into world’s top-10 after putting together a string of good results.
Earlier, the regional passport officer in Hyderabad said Nehwal would not get her passport renewed before Monday, which had made her participation in the tournament doubtful. “I had applied for the renewal of the passport on December 2 and they assured me to issue it on December 10 but that didn’t happen. On Friday, I tried to meet the passport officer but they said she was in a meeting and I would get the passport on Monday only,” Nehwal said.
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