Pune: In a first, the Indian army will soon introduce rowing for paraplegic soldiers at the Army Rowing Node (ARN), on the College of Military Engineering (CME) campus.A senior army officer told TOI on Monday that this decision was made at the recent National Rowing Championship at CME. "We held detailed discussions with the Rowing Federation of India (RFI) on this proposal. RFI has agreed to (the) proposal and will be providing assistance for rowers to train at ARN," the officer said.RFI president Rajlaxmi Singh Deo confirmed the development. "It's a very positive step for the sport. We will be sending a detailed proposal to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), seeking financial assistance and proper equipment for the rowers," Deo said.The officer said western countries promote para-rowing and provide every facility to train their rowers, leading to excellent performances. "India has not paid much attention to this category for various reasons — lack of logistical support being a main reason," he added.Since para-rowing requires a female partner, it was difficult for army authorities to find suitable candidates in the past. "Now, a woman from Kashmir, who is interested in rowing, is ready to be partnered with a para soldier. The duo will be trained at Army Rowing Node (ARN). They will not only receive training, but also valuable tips from fellow rowers with international experience," a source said.The army has already established a dedicated para node at the Bombay Engineering Group, where they train para soldiers in various forms of sports. "We are getting talented para-soldiers. We can utilize their talent for para-rowing in the coming years," another army officer told TOI.Para-rowing is a discipline that is open to both men and women with disability, who meet the criteria set out in the para-rowing regulations and by-laws. Para-rowing was formerly called adaptive rowing and was first included at the 2002 World Rowing Championships that were held in Seville, Spain.In 2005, para-rowing was first introduced in the Paralympic programme, and featured at the Paralympic Games for the first time in 2008, in Beijing. At the 2012 Paralympics in London, 23 countries competed in four boat classes for 12 para-rowing medals.

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