Sports Minister feels there are lessons to be learnt on hosting events
India may or may not host a major multi-discipline sporting event in the immediate future but there are lessons to be learnt and preserved from every such event on how best to go about doing it, feels Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.
On a four-day trip to the Asian Games, Rathore, speaking exclusively to The Hindu, stressed on the use of temporary facilities. Having already visited several venues here, including the Athletes’ Village, Rathore expressed satisfaction about the facilities.
“I don’t know if India is hosting any event in the near future. Nevertheless, there is always a lot to learn and I have asked my officers and federations to keep recording the various venues. There should be a repository formed where this information is tagged and compiled.
“Right from the London Olympics, I have appreciated the fact that there are certain events that need to have temporary facilities. But the life of any Games is always the volunteers and public and to that extent, Indonesia has presented a very good face,” he said.
Interestingly, the IOA has been quite vocal about hosting mega events in the coming years, including the Asian Games and the Youth Olympics, but it would need government support.
High praise
Asked about India’s performances here, Rathore had only high praise.
“The Asian Games are the second toughest competition in certain events and a lot of our athletes have given their personal best scores or timings here, which is very promising.
“Another positive aspect is that several youngsters have achieved very good results across sports — which is very promising, both in terms of results and future performances,” he said.
Rathore also credited the federations for tracking their athletes’ and making realistic assessments.
“All those people who were responsible for their training, which includes the federations and TOPS, were tracking the performances quite perfectly and sportspersons have performed more or less as per estimate and expectations.
“That is important because we are trying to create a system that involves all stakeholders, including the sportspersons.
“But State governments also have to start chipping in, there has to be a sense of competition within States because at the grassroots, they are the ones who are supposed to fund development,” he said.
