Table 7: Progress of India over the years

6. India at paralympics

With the progressive advancements in the field of Paralympics across different countries around the globe, the Indian Government has also introduced several policies and schemes for the development and welfare of persons with disabilities in the country. Out of all the 22 summer paralympic sports, 20 sports are being practised in India but only in 9 such games India have been an active participant in paralympics.

The journey of India at the Paralympics has not been a very smooth one but with successive years, the progress has just been considerable enough to be quoted.

YEAR NO. OF PARTICIPANTS MEDALS

1960, Rome 1964, Tokyo 1968, Tel Aviv 10 1972, Heidelberg 10 1976, Toronto 1980, Arnhem 1984, New York 5

1988, Seoul 2

1992, Barcelona 9

1996, Atlanta 9

2000, Sydney 2004, Athens 2008, Beijing 2012, London

4 12 5 10 2016, Rio de Janeiro 19 2020, Tokyo 54 Did Not Participate Did Not Participate

Did Not Participate Did Not Participate 0 1

4 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 19

Table 7: Progress of India over the years; Source: Wikipedia

The following table shows the overall progress of India at the paralympics from the year 1960 to 2020.

7. Inference

This slow yet sturdy progress of India at the Paralympics suggests that the country has a strong potential of achieving remarkable wonders at the Paralympics, yet the country has witnessed minimal participation at the Paralympics over the years. Unavailability of proper infrastructure and services, lack of trained coaches, and lack of awareness of disabled sports amongst the society are some of the core reasons that have affected the participation of the country in the Paralympics.

5.2 Inferences from case study

1. Accessibility:

Easy and convenient approach or accessibility of the site is directly important for the proper utilization and development of the project. Transit connectivity can help develop the different means by which users can access the site. The importance of accessibility and approach has been highlighted in both the case studies as well.

JLN had extensive connectivity with major roads on all sides, thereby providing easy access to all users and by any means of transport. On the other hand, the cultural sports complex in Tehran had access through a major primary road lying on one side of the site.

2. Site surrounding:

Having a sports complex with rich and diverse precinct areas or mixed-land uses helps in creating a strong neighbourhood for the site and for the overall development of the surrounding areas. The presence of such a diverse context will help enhance the potential for healthy revenue generation and utilization of the maximum available resources. A similar scenario has been highlighted in the case studies where JLN was surrounded by mixed land uses and the cultural sports complex in

Tehran has been entirely surrounded by residential areas and a few patches of commercial and institutional uses.

3. Zoning:

Zoning helps in regulating the built environment of the site and contributes toward creating well-balanced functional spaces for enhancing the overall user experience.

Zoning regulation is one of the most important planning objectives for designers.

As can be seen from the case studies as well that properly dedicated areas were designed as per the usage to ensure efficient and hassle-free circulation of the users.

4. Concept and Design:

A concept not only gives a unified direction to the design process but also helps at enhancing the overall value and usability of the project. Further, a thoughtful idea on maintaining the environmental balance and reducing energy consumption can be deployed in the design strategies. Having a concept that also sensitizes the environmental impact should also be given due consideration. Contrary to this factor, strategies promoting environmental sustenance have not been given any kind of consideration in the case studies.

5. Building typology:

Different building typologies have different functions and different alignment of spaces as per the usage and requirement of the users. However, each kind of typology can be provided with certain socially interactive spaces in order to enhance and develop a healthy social relationship. In the jln complex, various patches of land in the massive site area were left unused and underutilized which could have been treated to create interactive social spaces. similarly, in the case of Tehran, certain areas of interaction should have been provided.