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Rio 2016: Paes exhorts Indians to respect their athletes
Cynical criticism of India not winning a medal in the Rio Games was by people who don’t understand sport, says Leander Paes.
Rio de Janeiro
The lack of any medals yet for the largest-ever Indian contingent at the Olympics has led to cynical criticism by some back home. This is not going down too well with the athletes as they feel that people who don’t understand sport have no right to dissect their performance.
Seven-time Olympian Leander Paes has stayed back at the Games to watch the best of sport and cheer on the other Indians in the fray.
“It’s not correct to belittle the performances of our athletes. Our people need to realise that these are the best we have got and they need our encouragement and support, not cynicism,” said Paes at the sidelines of the mixed doubles event. He has been in the stands for both the matches played by the Sania Mirza-Rohan Bopanna combine.
“India has a long way to go before we can expect consistent world-beating performances. In the meanwhile, it is important that we keep sending large contingents for only if we have the numbers can we expect to get some who will rise to the very top.”
WORK TO DO
However, he would like more precise training and focus on development of athletes from a young age. “Research proves that it is practice that makes perfect. It’s the hours upon hours that are spent fine-tuning the skills necessary to excel which dictate great performance. Since the human body’s peak comes in the early twenties, it’s people who have put in extra work by then who excel. From there on, it becomes a confidence game which, in turn, is enhanced by early success,” he said.
The recent spate of funding by the government just prior to the Games hasn’t impressed him too much. “It’s great that our athletes are getting the kind of financial support that has come about recently. But they need this money four years before the Olympics and not four months!”
Asked about the sad state of our sports administrators, Paes refused to be drawn into controversy. “It’s not like federations are any better across the world. But at least they have systems which allow talent and hard work to flourish. For India to make a mark on the world stage, we must invest in the best brains, best trainers and best facilities. Only the best support system can produce the best in the world.”
This time around at least the vast baggage of officials has been pruned. “Usually, one saw a lot more of these guys at the Games. This time, both the government and Indian Olympic Association have clamped down and that’s good. But I would still like to see more genuine coaches and not just relatives of athletes tagging along.”
Meanwhile, he stays confident of India’s chances of a medal in mixed doubles. “Now that Sania and Rohan have put away two tough matches, their confidence is soaring. I would say that a medal is almost certain from tennis.”
