Attributing the failure of Indian athletes at the Rio Olympics to the “pernicious” grip of political nepotism over sports activities, our bodies, and poor infrastructure, CPI(M) on Thursday demanded de-linking the bodies from political patronage, even though it pitched for a comprehensive sports policy. “The failure to excel in sports activities is not the fault of person athletes but a result of poor sports infrastructure, loss of public funding for sports activities, and the pernicious grip of a political-bureaucratic nepotism over the sports federations,” ex-CPI(M) popular secretary Prakash Karat has stated.
Archer Dipika Kumari, daughter of a rickshaw puller and steeplechase sprinter Lalita Babar, who belongs to a poor peasant family, too, made it to the Olympics by overcoming poverty, alleged lack of aid, through “sheer grit and determination,” he said. “The dismal kingdom of sports in India is summed up in the loss of sports centers – poor stadiums, loss of gymnasiums, and swimming pools. That is compounded with the aid of bad country investment, of meager scholarships and incentives for young college students to take sports activities significantly,” he stated.
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Referring to national governments showering “crores of rupees” and different items on Sindhu and Sakshi, Karat argued that such personal rewards don’t address the primary issues. Instead, he said, it’d be higher if country governments and Relevant authorities embark on a plan to build sports activities infrastructure on a massive scale and provide adequate funds for the training and maintenance of the younger sports activities skills. The Marxist leader also recommended giving up “lopsided” emphasis on cricket and company sponsorship for it over all other sports.
