The Haryana Government hits headlines when any sportsperson from that State bags a medal at any big sports event. But the sports stars keep waiting for donkey’s years to see the money. Sports achievers keep running from pillar to post to lay hands on the hard cash by wearing out several pairs of footwear. Haryana steals the fame and credit for giving to sportsmen fabulous cash rewards, but when and whether or not they get that is not clearly known. Odisha became a sporting State much later during the BJD regime. It took supremely designed plans to make sports popular and sportspersons serious about attaining laurels with quality coaching and care. Lately, when stars like Dutee Chand, Anuradha Biswal and Padmini Rout emerged as top achievers in the country and abroad, apart from the great hockey wizards from even before, the Odisha Government made no delay in giving them the best possible rewards in cash and kind. Dutee, for instance, has been already given away thirty million rupees in cash for two silvers. The hockey girls have also been richer by ten million rupees each. Needless to say, hidden and unsung talents are surfacing like never before and on their way to grab medals beyond count in the future. Appropriate skill training is being imparted to all potential champions in sports hostels put up all over the State, which identifies and trains young sports men and women at State cost. Besides, it is an established fact that in athletics, the stars are those who win sprints particularly the 100- and 200-metre events.
Incidentally, when BJP-ruled Jharkhand betrayed the nation by walking out on the Asian Athletics in 2017 just before 90 days, the rest of India had no idea what to do. No single so-called advanced State with money and manpower came forward to volunteer to save face of India. However, Odisha took up the challenge and what it did eventually is history today.
Youths and sports go together. Most interestingly, Odisha is truly a young State with young women outnumbering young men. The scriptures say when women are bigger in number, prosperity is on its way to the society. In 1999, a defamed Congress-led Government was at its peak of infamy mainly because nearly all members of the executive were degenerate with a machinating head. The Biju Janata Dal happened and the magical change in 18 years is glaringly visible. The State decision makers had realised from the beginning that unless the youth power is harnessed systematically, not much good would occur by way of productive happening. The boss and most of his highly-skilled administrators put ‘youth affairs’ high on agenda. Odisha is not an affluent State like Punjab or Haryana boasting very impressive per capita income from successful agricultural and industrial activities. But as survey reports suggest, the Punjab youth is a disillusioned and derailed lot due to narcotic drugs and unrealistic ambition without efforts.
The Odisha Government, nowhere near any of the leading States in matters of sports promotion or achievement, is occupying a most enviable status in the sports domain by sheer focus and concentration on boosting youth spirit through sports that develop shape even the wayward young people into celebrities in the arena. First, the authorities did quality planning with the help of available wisdom among the bureaucrats who understand the basics of what works well. They developed the stadium infrastructure in the capital city into a world-class facility. The erstwhile sports boss Injeti Srinivas had laid the foundation-stone for great sports events to take place in Odisha. The Kalinga Stadium, which was virtually captured like private property by a few tennis playing bureaucrats who even kept retired superior court judges and many other skilled players out of bound, had to make way to make the playing facilities world class. After Injeti, senior-most Chief Secretary-level officer, joined the Union Government, a fairly young, energetic, focussed officer called Vishal Dev took over and began improving from where Srinivas left in a shortest possible period turned the outfit with all facilities a world-class stadium. The young Sports Secretary is a mastermind who has picked great skills of getting things done in record time with his magic wand swinging like in a fairytale. No wonder, Odisha, once a nondescript region in the sports world, is now known as a great location particularly after organising the 22nd Asian Athletic event last year followed by world-class hockey tournaments, football championships and more. The grand athletics show is on record as a miracle event for it was organised in 90 flat days after Jharkhand chickened out at the last moment after preparing for nearly two years. The international sports organisers, star participants, judges and spectators, all alike, were stunned to see the incredible outcome. The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) went back with grand memories with a strong craving to come back again and again.
Odisha is today a highly-desired sports destination. All credits go to the visionary Chief Minister’s sports dream, his immediate lieutenants guiding him on 24×7 basis and the mission-driven approach by the functionaries under the sports boss operating on clock-precision schedules. Sports chroniclers have religiously kept live the great fact that Naveen Patnaik had given to all the medal winners of India equal cash rewards irrespective of State or region of domicile. He had declared that all winning Indian athletes are equal and deserve the same accolade and reward. No other State has done it once yet as their decision makers are parochially inclined with a horrible ‘mine and thine’ sentiment. The beauty about Odisha is that it declares rewards today and pays up tomorrow. Other States scream big but never pay up until medal winners begin weeping or losing hope.
Now any sportsperson of Odisha winning a gold medal in any competition would get a cash award of Rs 1 crore and silver and bronze medalists Rs 60 lakh and Rs 40 lakh, respectively, whereas the wealthy Central Government has declared only Rs 50 lakh, Rs 30 lakh and Rs 20 lakh for gold, silver and bronze winners.
Presently, sports is core culture of Odisha. Field hockey, athletics, tennis, rugby union, rugby sevens, association football and cricket are popularly played and promoted across the State. The Kalinga Stadium on a countdown mode already for the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup between November 28 and December 16. The newly-designed logo on the Indian national hockey team jersey is a summation of Odisha, the Konark Wheel, the State’s famed coastline, endangered Olive Ridley turtles, Odishi dance form and hockey. In a first-of-its-kind association, Indian hockey today got a new sponsor in the Odisha Government, which has decided to support the game for the next five years. Naveen Patnaik himself made the announcement amid dignitaries in Delhi. Hockey breeds in Odisha as they say. The national team has the highest from Odisha, both in men and women’s teams. Odisha has produced great players including Dilip Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey and Lazarus Barla. The current Indian teams also has the likes of BirendraLakra, Amit Rohidas, Deepsan Tirkey and Namita Toppo. Many more are to enthral the world soon.
Lastly, Dutee Chand is now a wealthy person with thirty million rupees in her account for bagging only two silvers. But the media is hyping her past struggles and the way her weaver family suffered due to want of money and support. That she is being shown as a source of inspiration is fine though that doesn’t make one wake up and take a leap. What is truly inspiring is that the State Government has so much to offer in the world of sports that parents and young people must consider fabulous bonus to grab. Dutee is with a high-paying job and shall only excel as a compassionate sportsperson only if she donates only twenty per cent of her windfall earning to fellow sportspersons of her village or region close to home. Winning prizes only does not make a great human being. Sharing joy and goods with the struggling ones around her shall deify her. Or else, the story would end as ludicrously as that of Dana Majhi, who unwittingly carried her dead wife and became a temporary celebrity of a different kind and became rich.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)