Ill-equipped to succeed: Announcing big prize money for Olympics medallists, Punjab ignores trainees at grassroots

Indervir Grewal

Chandigarh, July 16

Continuing with the trend of rewarding Olympics medallists with big cash prizes, the Punjab Government has announced Rs 3 crore, Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore for gold, silver and bronze, respectively, for any athlete from the state who wins a medal at the Paris Games. The government has also decided to give Rs 15 lakh to each Paris-bound athlete for preparation.

A welcome step no doubt, but this is also a classic case of the government’s generosity being limited to the top level. The picture at the grassroots is quite contrasting, with almost all the state-run academies struggling to operate due to a lack of support.

Various coaches working with the Sports Department or the Punjab Institute of Sports told The Tribune that they have not received new equipment in seven years.

“The last time we got new equipment was in 2017,” said an athletics coach. “I have sent so many letters and emails that I have lost count,” he added.

Another coach said that earlier they used to get enthusiastic every time the department asked them to send a list of their requirements, but even that hope has dwindled. “Every time they ask us about our needs, we send the list, but nothing happens after that,” said a hockey coach. “And our demands are not extraordinary, it is basic things like kits, shoes, balls and hockey sticks,” added the coach.

A former administrator said that playing equipment like kits, shoes, sticks, balls and boxing gloves do not last long and need to be bought almost every year. “Training equipment like hurdles, cones, skipping ropes, agility ladders and weights last longer but everything has its shelf life,” he said.

On their own

The government’s apathy has forced the trainees to fend for themselves. “I brought my own stick and shoes when I joined. I have not yet received anything here,” said a 14-year-old trainee of the Mohali hockey academy, where current India vice-captain Hardik Singh trained during his formative years.

The situation at the boxing centre, a few hundred metres from the hockey stadium, is much worse. “We have not even received gloves since 2017. Most boxers buy their own, while others manage with the old ones. We have tried to conserve the gloves but most are in terrible condition,” said a senior trainee at the centre.

“The punching bags were coming apart so we had to tape them up. We do not have a proper weight-training set-up. Despite these hurdles we have the maximum number of medallists at national events. Youngsters from other parts aspire to train here but we do not have the means to take more trainees. The number has dwindled from over a 100 trainees to around 30,” he added.

Helping hand

The trainees also depend on the resourcefulness of the coaches. “They get their own shoes and hockey sticks. For those who do not have the resources, we help them,” said another hockey coach. “Whenever we win prize money, we keep some aside to help some of the trainees. We also use that money to buy balls and other training equipment,” he added.

Then there are former sportspersons, sports enthusiasts and even former trainees who lend a helping hand. The boxing trainee said they recently received gloves from Chakar — the native village of international boxers Simranjit Kaur and Mandeep Kaur. Olympian Simranjit is a product of the Mohali centre.

An athletics coach said that when they needed weight-training equipment, one of their regular supporters helped out. “They don’t ask for anything in return, and they are genuinely happy when our trainees excel,” he said.

Recently, two hockey stars from the state — one retired and one current India player — provided balls and kits for two academies.

A current India player, who is a product of the famed Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar, said that he was disappointed to see the condition of the centre, which has produced countless India players, including former captain Manpreet Singh and current skipper Harmanpreet Singh, just in the last two decades.

“I visited the academy recently. It is sad to see how the standard has fallen from when we were there. The coaches cannot do anything in the absence of basic necessities. The government must pay attention to their needs,” he said.

Dr SP Anandh Kumar, Special Secretary cum Director, Sports & Youth Services, said the process to get new equipment has been started. “The tender has been floated,” he said.

Maintenance of infrastructure

Another major issue raised by the coaches and sportspersons is the lack of maintenance of sports infrastructure. There have been many cases of swimming pools lying unused for months because of leakages or boiler issues, wooden courts for badminton and basketball getting damaged due to leaking roofs and sportspersons risking injuries training on synthetic athletics tracks and hockey turfs that are no longer fit for use. And when the replacement is approved, the work is usually delayed as was the case with the athletics track at the Sports School and the turf at the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar. The athletics track was replaced after almost 25 years. “The track literally started crumbling before it was changed,” said Gurindervir Singh, who won the 100m gold at last month’s National Championships at Panchkula. “My personal best (10.27 seconds) in 2021 came not after training in Jalandhar but in Tarn Taran, Dharamsala and even in parks,” added the 23-year-old.