Put your money where your players are

While we all hail Sindhu’s coup, we often forget upcoming players who struggle for sponsorships.

On most occasions, Tanvi Lad, positioned 91 in Badminton World Federation ranking, has been forced to use her personal funds to compete in international events. But not everyone is as fortunate as her — in most cases, neither the government nor private companies come forward to sponsor independent athletes.

Former Indian badminton star Aditi Mutatkar had to run from pillar to post for sponsorship. She was only second to Saina Nehwal, but due to lack of sponsors, she lost a chance. She recently wrote in an article online that because she did not want her parents to pay for her international tournaments, hunting for sponsors was “the one most important lesson” of her life.

Former national chief badminton coach Syed Mohammed Arif who has produced champions like Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal and Jwala Gutta, has been aware of the predicament for way too long. Shedding some light on the subject, he says, “The struggle for funds has been affecting the sport from a long time. The government or any private sponsor comes forward to fund only when a player reaches top 10 position. I can understand that private sponsors want to associate their brand to established players, but the government can definitely take better initiatives. Why wait for the Olympics and fret about not winning medals ” The only way to solve such problems, the veteran says is to address the problem first. “Meetings should be called beforehand to identify problems the players are facing,” he says.

Although there is no dearth of sporting talent in the country, he believes, it hasn’t been harnessed well. The encouragement in the initial stages, he says, is the most important factor. Arif adds, “The government helps players in tournaments where they represent the country — like the Olympics. Otherwise one must spend from their own pockets. Jwala spends almost '10 lakhs every year to participate in matches. Sometimes, families and friends also help, but that’s that.”

Outside help Often the coaches and co-players step forward to help players, but most of the times it is not just enough. Arif confesses that sometimes he would “Sponsor for material and equipment,” but people would called him “a lunatic”.

“A player may get sponsors if they are connected with powerful names in the badminton associations. The government funds only select players. Although I have been performing well, I still don’t have a private sponsor. Our only option is to pay up ourselves. Which is a reason why many players end up quitting,” says Jwala Gutta, the southpaw badminton doubles specialist.

Another badminton player and Arjun award winner Parupalli Kashyap points out the importance of NGOs, which come to the rescue of players. “There are NGOs like the Olympic Gold Quest who also help,” he says. Olympic Gold Quest is a non profit organisation founded by sporting legends Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone. Though the years, some of the nation’ best sportspersons have come to support the organisation, which provide state-of-the-art facilities to the Indian players. However, the problem remains in the initial stages of training. “In the initial stages of my career, I asked friends for help and even went to the extent of selling jewellery!” reveals Parupalli.

Shooter Heena Sidhu brings in the analogy of education to explain the problem. She says, “Usually you have to take care of your own expenses till the time you are a part of the Indian squad. The government comes into picture only when you are a top-notch elite player. If you are a potential player and are good at your sport your state and district level federation might also funds you. Till then it’s just like education: parents have to fund the training, the equipment and everything from scratch.”

Put your money where your players are

“However,” she adds, “There can be measures where government recognises talented players who cannot afford training and decide to help them in their own way by providing sponsorship. Private sponsorship comes into the picture only when you are known and have a certain brand value associated, they will take care of the funding only if you are famous.”

Players B. Sai Praneeth and Meghana Jakkampudi have been struggling to get to the top, in spite of their talent. “The government must do something. My parents have been helping me throughout. Once they even thought of asking me to quit...but things have gotten better now,” says Praneeth. Meghana agrees, “Nobody funds us, unless we’re in the core team. It’s only our parents.”

Agreeing to the sorry state of sponsorship, shooter Ayonika Paul’s father Ashim Paul explains, “It is true that upcoming sportspersons have to always struggle to find sponsorship when they are still learning. But once you play for the country, there are NGO’s like the Olympic Gold Quest that are willing to help and the government also comes forward once they are selected.”

Currently, the state of matters rests on the fact that struggling days for players are indeed the most difficult, especially for those who cannot the basic training. “Approaching someone while you are still an upcoming talent is always a difficult task,” says Ahsim.

Perhaps the best suggestion comes from the letter Aditi wrote: With all due respect, if Shobhaa De and more of their ilk swallow their wisdom and not post it on Twitter, and sponsor an athlete instead, I can promise them they would be less depressed about our performance at the Olympics.

Inputs from Aarti Bhanushali