Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said India cannot achieve its true potential of sports till a system is put in place that directly supports players and makes sportspersons in-charge of various sports bodies instead of politicians.
“’No money, no game’ - this is the reality for most athletes in India today. Met a group of players from Haryana and across the country and listened to their problems,” the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a social media post in Hindi.
He also shared a seven-minute video of his conversation with players in poll-bound Haryana.
“Unless we bring in a system that directly supports sportspersons, and puts sportspersons in charge instead of politicians in sports associations, India cannot achieve its true potential,” Gandhi said. “India has immense talent - only transparency, fairness and access to all necessary facilities will ensure that every promising player benefits equally,” he said in his post.
“Completely disappointed with the system, struggling with lack of basic facilities like diet, rest and training, these youth are also losing hope and confidence - this is a bigger loss for India than missing out on Olympic Glory,” he said. In the video he shared, Rahul Gandhi is seen listening to problems of sportspersons from Haryana.
He also took a dig at politicians holding positions in sports bodies, including that of cricket and judo.
