Veroli Zhimo
India’s medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics which concluded on August 8 was impressive — it had won seven medals, of which one was gold, two silver and four bronze. For this, the nation’s Olympians must be lauded; their achievements come at a time when training for sportspersons has run into immense challenges owing to the global pandemic and despite the Union government slashing the sports budget by Rs 230.78 crore in the Olympic year.
Interestingly, in Nagaland, the success of Indian Olympians have opened up conversations on how and what policies the State Government can introduce and implement to raise future Olympians from the state.
On a suggestion platform initiated by The Morung Express where readers were asked to share their views, some of the main prerequisites that were suggested included developing and maintaining sporting infrastructure and sport academies, inclusion of sports in the education system, and conducting fair and unbiased selection of talent. Along with this, the need for the society to understand the dynamics and prospects of sport as a career was also highlighted in the responses.
Notably, the same sentiments were also echoed in an article written by the Advisor to Nagaland Chief Minister Abu Metha who was recently appointed as the Associate Vice President, Athletics Federation of India.
In the article which was published in this newspaper on August 10, Metha acknowledged that the state needs to invest resources in building state-of-the-art infrastructure that is present and future ready. “The little sports infrastructure that we have are either outdated or out of tune. They need to be decommissioned or upgraded, otherwise these liabilities are contributing towards producing sub-standard sportspersons who are unable to compete even at the regional level, leave alone the national competitions,” he wrote.
Expounding on the need to ‘change the narrative’ of sport in Nagaland, Metha went on to state that policy makers and the political leadership must have the will and the desire to place funds and resources towards sports development. “Sports policies and motivational speeches mean nothing if we are unable to place an appreciable percentage of the State Budget towards sports development-both infrastructure and game,” he noted, adding that political and bureaucratic appetite must be set aside to usher in meritocracy and fairness, from top down.
Among other things, Metha also opined that the education policy must introduce educational quotas and scholarships for courses in sports science, sports engineering, physical education, sports management, etc., and said that the education system must include rewarding excellence in sports, introduction of sports scholarships, job reservations for sportspersons and practice of pure merit in recruitment.
“It all seems like too much of a task. But even other states that are as challenged as ours, if not worse off with resources, are doing much better than us. We have wasted too many years with promises. It’s now time to act,” he asserted.
These observations reflect the absence of institutional support which has been a huge hindrance as Naga sportspersons have had to contend with the lack of a thriving sporting culture that prioritizes excellence.
In this context, such a proclamation coming from a seat of power gains significance and one can only hope that the state government viz., the Department of Youth Resources and Sports and other agencies translate them into tangible actions.
As Metha aptly noted, “Naga society needs lifting, and nothing lifts the mood of a people more than sporting excellence and achievement.”
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