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Olympic task
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Changing India's dismal medal scenario at Olympics is not impossible, says A.S.V. Prasad in a chat with ABHIJIT SEN GUPTA
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SPORTING SOLUTIONS: Pic: Satish. H
WHENEVER THE Olympic Games are discussed, the most frequently asked question is why a country of about one billion cannot produce more Olympic medallists.
Indian success stories in the Olympics have been few and far between. At one time the country's hockey players were regarded as the best in the world but that reputation is now in tatters.
India's record
The eight gold medals that India has won in hockey remain the only gold medals ever to have been won by India in the Olympic Games till now.
One cannot deny that there were a few deserving individual performances which did not bear fruit due to various reasons.
The individual bronze medals won by wrestler K.D. Jadhav, tennis ace Leander Paes and weightlifter Karnam Malleswari deserve credit.
But on the whole India's record in the Olympics has been extremely disappointing.
But changing this dismal scenario is not as difficult as it appears to be, provided certain key areas are targeted for improvement says A.S.V. Prasad, Technical Advisor on sports to the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Prasad's views are significant, for he has had a long and distinguished career as a sportsman and then as an administrator at the state and national level.
In his youth he was a sprinter and won titles at All India Inter University meets and also National championships.
Later he taught physical education at Kalyani University in West Bengal.
Then he served as Secretary in the AP Sports Council before becoming Executive Director (teams) at Sports Authority of India (SAI) wherein his responsibilities included supervision of training and preparing Indian teams in all disciplines for various meets.
A stint with the International Olympic Association (IOA) also gave him insight into the methods by which sports is developed and promoted throughout the world.
`Numbers don't matter'
"I feel that the oft quoted one billion figure has no relevance in sports. Numbers have no bearing on a country's medal tally. What we need is a system that can effectively spot and nurture talent," says Prasad.
"We need a scientific approach. We do not have specialists in fields such as biomechanics, psychology, nutrition and physiology who have knowledge of sports requirements.
There is a dearth of knowledgeable and committed leadership. Schemes like the Special Area Games project fizzled out due to paucity of dedicated leaders."
"We do not need a lot of money to give a boost to sports. I feel that the government can easily meet the required funding.
What is needed is a willpower to generate and target the funds properly and also an atmosphere wherein sports is given the importance that it deserves.
If the youth of this country are drawn into sports, then whatever time they will spend on sports will be spent positively and constructively.
Sports will keep them away from wasteful and anti-social activity and give young people a positive attitude.
Most peopledo not realise the importance of sports in the social fabric of the country," says Prasad echoing perhaps the ideals propagated by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.
Sports in curriculum
"Take the very basic level - that is the school and college level. There is very little being done to develop sports. Physical education is a badly neglected aspect of our education system. This is the starting point. If we neglect this how can we get anywhere?"
"There are plenty of schools which employ Physical Education teachers. But is there any systematic curriculum being followed in this area?
Are there any marks given to the students? Is there any monitoring of improvement in their strength, speed and endurance?
Are any records being kept of the physical development and increase or decrease of basic motor qualities among the children? Sadly the answers to all these questions is a big no!"
"So, for a start we have to promote physical education. It should be an essential part of a child's development.
Children with good physique should be encouraged to take up sports, which suit them. The physical education teachers must also be trained to impart better skills to the children.
And the PETs in turn have to be given more motivation by being treated on a par with teachers of academics," says Prasad.
"Unless we start restructuring at the bottom and build a firm base, we cannot hope to construct a structure that will reach very high. It is as simple as that," he says.
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