The role of the government in promoting sports in the country was the focal theme that reverberated at the seminar on London Olympics 2012 held as part of the 35th National convention of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana here on Thursday.
Gagan Narang, India's first shooter to qualify for next year's Olympic Games was emphatic as he initiated the discussions: “An athlete has to be the centre of attention of a sports federation. We have enough people to decide on funding but the amount of funding is a question. An athlete's mind is always focused on performance than worrying about other things. That's the way it should be.”
On the road to the 2012 Games, Narang said nothing much had changed since the previous edition. “We are pretty much where we were in 2008, because of the restrictions on rifles. These restrictions, on a discipline that has won many medals and have maximum shooters taking part, will not necessarily hamper us in 2012, but in the longer run.”
Narang added that things have to improve at the government level if India is to win more medals in the 2012 or 2016 Olympics.
Narang also added that shooters lose focus if they were not sure of their selection. “If you are not sure of your place in the team, it is very difficult to plan. If you are going to concentrate on being in the Indian team for the next World Cup, what is the point?”
India's first rowing gold medallist at the Asian Games, Bajrang Lal Takhar said the government should provide timely for Indians to win more international medals in rowing.
“Two years ago, we had prepared a budget and presented it, but the help did not come on time. Otherwise, we could have won more golds in international competitions,” said the 30-year-old Takhar.
Former India hockey player Viren Rasquinha said parents should not introduce their children to sports with the objective of making a living. “If the mindset is to encourage children to take up sports at 10, 11 or 12 years with the objective of making money, then the mindset should change,” the 30-year-old Rasquinha, who is the chief operating officer of Olympic Gold Quest.
Sandip Pradhan, Lakshya, also echoed the importance of the role of Government in sport. “Government is definitely spending a lot of money, but not on time. We need to have prospective plans,” he said.
Speaking on the role of sports sciences in building up an athlete, Dr. Nikhil Latey said there was a genuine need to start spreading knowledge of the subject. “It is not just about sport but also the technical aspects of it. In India we are unaware of all these things.”
