Asian Games 2018: From poverty to podium, the story of Indian athletes
If athletics and the diasporas of the “other sports” ever needed a glowing advertisement, then the Asian games 2018 can serve as the perfect example.
The Indian athletes showed grit and gumption, which resulted deservedly in gold. But most importantly, and as the saying rightly goes, it is not where they reached but how they got there which is cause for celebration and frustration.
India came 8th in the final standings — our best showing since 1951 — was all down to the will to succeed. While India could easily rank among the best if medals were given out for determination, it comes to down to how they trained, how were they helped and most importantly, will they be trained and helped.
There is also a case to be made for the demographic of these golden athletes, how each of them have a unique struggle, how the poorest of the poor bring home the golden riches.
Swapna Barman broke new ground with her achievements in Indonesia, but she comes from a home which is plagued with poverty. Swapna trained in conditions unheard of, not out of competitive ingenuity, but out of sheer dedication and the will to achieve.
Whilst cricket and more recently football have captivated the public eye, it seems like these efficient athletes don’t only have to win to add on to nation’s pride, but for their sake, stay relevant and hopefully pursue their sporting dream to feed their hopes and more importantly, their near and dear ones who in promoting them, have literally put all their financial and emotional chips on the table.
Hima Das’ story is no different. Even as her opponents trained under state of the art conditions, she had a muddy football field to contend with, not a muddy track, a football field.
The Indian athlete is forever stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Suffer defeat, and soon, whatever little resources our hapless athletics federation does expend go away, leaving behind a ruined athlete. Win and the top brass start expecting miracles with no added incentives.
The two athletes mentioned above will get a hefty reward and the promise of a government job to make ends meet, but what of those who did not make it to the podium?
Well for them, the journey against all odds continues. A lot look for a government job to help with survival and hopefully nourishment.
While the chance of a feasible and visible career attracts kids from affluent backgrounds, it is also an evident lack of attention from the state and that does not go unnoticed for a young student in a private school whose parents know better when it comes to making a sporting decision about their future.
Train them in cricket and the sky's the limit but push them towards athletics and the limit is the sky.
The Asian Games will come again, so will the Commonwealth and soon enough the Olympics. There will be many more inspirational stories, some which might even find their way to the big screen with a big star playing the actual star. And even though the films would easily end up making millions, the athlete and the sport in this country will still live the same life — the same struggles, the same odds.