Entire nation is celebrating the sensation created by wrestler Sakshi Malik who won India's first medal at Rio Olympics in a amazing comeback and then PV.Sindhu becoming the youngest silver medal winner for the country. They are also ga ga over the performances of gymnast Dipa Karmakar and golfer Aditi Ashok .
All state governments and respective sports authorities are competing with eachother to announce awards and rewards. But many are wondering how many will remember sports persons who represented India at Olympics and also who toil hard to bring medals for the country.
Many of us criticize sports persons for their lack of will to win medals and cite examples of how small countries are winning medals. But these arm chair critics do not give a damn on how politicians and sports authorities are not providing facilities for the athletes to compete at international level.
People are talking about Dipa Karmakar now but no one cared for her even when she qualified for Olympics. Only after World Gymnastics Association took note of her achievement and announced financial aid, government stepped in.
None can forget how athletes are treated in Olympics. While bureaucrats and politicians are spending crores of public money to have fun and party at Rio, athletes are not having proper facilities and kits to train for their events. One cannot forget how Haryana sports minister spent a whopping Rs 1crs to party in Brazil while he announced just Rs 2.5crs for Sakshi Malik. Sindhu is insulted after winning the medal. She was booked only economy class ticket while netas and babus are travelling in business class.
Manoj Kumar who lost the boxing bout was virtually in tears saying he and his colleagues put on repeated requests to boxing association for quality gear and wear but they didnot heed to his requests. He said had they done so India would have had more boxers at Rio Olympics. Vijender Singh,Olympic medalist who was blasted for turning pro for being un patriotic,says when he brought to the notice the state of boxing federation,everyone attacked him.
Same is the case with shooters who do not get rifles, bullets,cartridges on time. People like Shoba De insult players but she donot realise that Abhinav Bhindra reached fourth with malfunctioning gun. Same is the case with many athletes. In India only politicians names are remembered for their scams or as presidents of the federations and not players.
Government has sports quota not to encourage sports persons but to serve their selfish needs. Remember how Rahul Gandhi, PM in waiting entered St.Stephens College in Delhi despite having no grades to qualify. He made his entry into the prestigious institute through sports quote as a shooter.
In other countries,players are remembered and not politicians. Unless this attitude changes, one can expect only single digit medals at major sporting events from India and authorities cannot claim credit for their success as they defied all odds despite non cooperation and lack of encouragement from the sports authorities to win medals.
