Prateek Pandey, a national level wrestler from UP, feels sports bodies need to identify and nurture talent at the grassroots level to fulfill the country’s Olympics ambitions. His views:
As far as India’s track record in the Olympics goes, it does not have much to boast about. In our past 104 years of participation, we have cumulatively won only 41 medals; we have only won 10 gold medals and this includes eight in Team Hockey.
No doubt the in the past 10 years, the central government has opened its treasure trunk (finances) in the training and infrastructure of sports in the country but despite all its initiatives like ‘Khelo India’, University Games etc., the real talents is yet to be tapped thanks to the age-old election and selection procedures. Our sporting authorities have a lethargic attitude that is still believes in 9-to-5 job cultures with Saturday-Sunday off.
If you actually need to reach out to the talents at the grassroots where there is potential to win medals, my first suggestion is to form a committee that comprises not just government officials but also specialist sportspersons. The members of this committee should not only sit in their AC offices but go out in the field, the rural and the sub-urban areas of the country to hunt for the talent.
The red-tapism which exists in the entire government machinery must be rooted out. In a recent report titled ‘Let’s Play’, the NITI Ayog spelt out some recommendations including targeting tribal and village talents, including sports as a subject in school curriculum, recruitment of world class coaches and trainers and improving sports infrastructure through public private partnerships. No doubt these recommendations are superb, but they can only reap results when they come out of the files and are put to actual work.
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The second and most important support system to bring out talents is the infrastructure. Though the efforts of this government in the past 10 years is really laudable, the on ground reality is yet to see the light of the sun. Though regional stadiums and sports facilities are taking shape at a fast pace, I can name a number of such centers/facilities where the infrastructure (sports equipment) are still locked in go downs waiting for the files to pass on. This is, in a way, not only hampering the training programs but also demoralizing for many youths.
Another important aspect of the sports and athlete infrastructure in the existing grievance redressal mechanism for the sportsperson. For example, if an athlete has any grievance related to the procedure or the selection of any sport, he/she needs to follow the same redressal line and eventually reaching out to our age old judicial system. Such long and hectic are the procedures related to games, that the sportsperson is either surrenders or his/her age surpasses the age limit meant for the particular sports. This needs to be addressed and rectified at the earliest.
For India sports means cricket and cricket means sports – unlike countries where Olympic sports are an integral part of the social fabric, India also needs a cultural shift to prioritise and celebrate a diverse range of sports.
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As told to Rajat Rai