Govt must shift focus from cash rewards to improving facilities, says Bajrang Punia

Expressing shock over the death of two budding basketball players in freak mishaps in Bahadurgarh and Lakhan Majra villages of Rohtak district, wrestler Bajrang Punia said the incidents exposed the poor infrastructure facilities available to sportspersons at the grassroots level.

Calling upon the government to strengthen this infrastructure, he said Haryana is the future of India in sports and there is an urgent need to shift focus from offering hefty cash prizes to medal-winning athletes towards building strong grassroots sports infrastructure across the state.

Speaking to The Tribune from the United States over phone in response to the incidents, Punia stressed that world-class training facilities and quality coaching at the nursery and district levels are far more crucial for producing future champions than post-victory rewards. Citing his own journey, he warned that the deteriorating state of sports infrastructure, which has led to the rise of private academies, could jeopardise Haryana’s sporting legacy.

“Facilities rather than high prizes should be given to medal-winning players at international events like the Olympics, World Championships or Asiad. I told the then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about this and expressed my willingness to cooperate with the government on this issue,” said Punia, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

He said the government showers prizes on medal winners at the international level. “This leaves families and parents to make maximum efforts on their own to ensure their son or daughter excels in sports, whereas it should be the responsibility of the government to provide the best infrastructure and coaching facilities and promote healthy competition at the initial level. If the state government is able to do so, Haryana can produce a plethora of sportspersons who can win medals in the Olympics. Sportspersons from Haryana have already proved their mettle on international stages time and again. I am saying this irrespective of any political affiliation,” he said.

Punia said even though the infrastructure is in a poor state, senior players are not ready to open up and raise the issue. “I have no inhibitions in calling a spade a spade, but unfortunately, sportspersons are becoming politically correct in raising sports-related issues. Senior players must speak up rather than remain silent. Their responsibility is much more than that of the politicians governing sports associations or the sports ministry. Their voice carries weight.”

Talking about sports infrastructure in the US, he said, “I see basketball players of over 100 kg hanging from the basketball hoop, yet incidents like the ones in Bahadurgarh and Lakhan Majra never occur here.”

The Olympic medallist said that the state government has even failed to fulfil the promise of constructing a village stadium in his native Khudan in Jhajjar district. “When I returned with the medal from the Olympics, the then Chief Minister had promised to build a stadium in the village, but not a single brick has been placed till now.”

“Look at the boxing hub in Bhiwani. Now dozens of sports academies have come up there, offering coaching at a cost. A player from a normal family cannot afford Rs 5,000 or more per month. As a result, there is a lack of talent and competition in the academies, which threatens a decline in the quality of boxing players. The same situation exists at other sports centres in Haryana.”

He also raised the issue of the lack of infrastructure, especially for team games. “In individual games like boxing or wrestling, families put in money and effort to help their child qualify for medals. But team games need adequate infrastructure and coaching, which parents cannot afford. There are good hockey players who progress due to individual efforts of coaches rather than the availability of government facilities. He said the government needs to wake up and take note of the prevailing situation.