Mirabai Chanu’s winning of silver medal in 49 kg women’s weightlifting category in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Saturday is yet another endorsement that India and particularly Northeast India has all the potential to reach such great sporting heights. Now, as is the custom in the country, rewards, awards, sponsors, jobs and fame of all shapes and sizes will chase Chanu. It is for sure that there are many Chanus in the country and undoubtedly in the Northeast who can excel in individual sports and need to be nurtured. It’s an investment which the country must make and why should just one or two games receive the chunk of the finance doled out particularly by the corporates.
Winning a silver medal at the Olympics wherein it’s always a tussle among the best in the world, irrespective of the game or discipline, is not an easy task. It has been observed by the experts in the science of sports that it’s not high quality training alone or sustained nurturing that can guarantee success. The factor of in-born talent does have a role and tutelage can only refine this and Chanu will always remain a good example to cite. Coming from a most humble background the Manipuri woman not only possesses this inherent quality but also the power of resilience that kept her going despite her setback at the Rio Olympics and the depression that got hold of her which was ultimately mended by the SAI psychologists. It is here the role of the government department comes and the need for timely extra care of these sportsmen and women becomes paramount. Chanu has ‘freed’ India from the bronze-age blame that has remained till now with Karnam Malleswari winning the last medal at the Sydney Games in 2000. A new central sports policy must be chalked out which must necessarily stress on all individual games and sports disciplines and a special budget must be earmarked for the Northeast, since, arguably there is more talent in this region compared to the mainland. A little care with all the modern facilities can churn the boys and girls into fine athletes, weightlifters, boxers, badminton players and so on. Arunachal, like Manipur or other states in the region has talents aplenty that are hidden and the state government must do more to discover them. Infrastructure is always the biggest problem in Arunachal and with their absence or delay in completion, the youths are being discouraged to take to sports, eventually allowing the menace of drugs to creep in silently.
Both the Centre and all NE states must have bigger sports budgets. It’s an investment worth making.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List