Eight months on, Haryana yet to reward Asiad medallists : The Tribune India

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Eight months on, Haryana yet to reward Asiad medallists

CHANDIGARH: Eight months after announcing cash awards for the Incheon Asian Games medal winners, the Haryana Sports Department is yet to disburse the money to the medallists.

Eight months on, Haryana yet to reward Asiad medallists

Inderjeet Singh, a shot-putter, feels the timely release of the cash award would have helped him fund his training for the Olympics. File photo



Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, May 6

Eight months after announcing cash awards for the Incheon Asian Games medal winners, the Haryana Sports Department is yet to disburse the money to the medallists.

In an Olympic qualification year when athletes desperately need funding in the build-up to the big event, the Sports Department is taking its own sweet time to deliver the awards. It has been learnt that the medal winners will have to wait for at least two to three months, if not more, before they finally get the awards.

The most affected by this delay are the athletes aiming for Olympic qualification, but have neither jobs nor sponsors to fund their training. 

“This is the time when we need money for preparation. What use will be the cash awards after three or four months? The Sports Department is moving in its usual pace; it’s a norm here to run behind schedule,” said an athlete who won a medal in the recently-concluded Federation Cup in Mangaluru, expressing shock at the Sports Department’s tardy pace of functioning.

Haryana Sports Director Jagdeep Singh said, “We have recently moved the file for approval. We have sought Rs 80 crores and are hopeful of getting the sanction soon.” The awards for the Asian Games, National Games and the state will be given together.  Players who have won a medal after the announcement of the new sports policy will be rewarded with enhanced cash benefits, he added.

Most athletes have questioned the rationale behind clubbing all awards together. 

Bhiwani-based Inderjeet Singh, who won a bronze medal in the Incheon Asian Games, said, “Half of my problems would be solved if I get the prize money now. I can focus on Rio Olympics without any burden on the mind. Taking part in a competition with loaned money puts undue pressure on mind.”

In August 2014, the cash award for the medal winners of the Asian Games was increased from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 2 crore for a gold medallist, from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 1 crore for a silver medallist and Rs 10 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for bronze medal winners. Under the new sports policy, the Asian Games gold medallists will now get Rs 3 crore, silver medallists will get Rs 1.5 crore and bronze medallists will get Rs 75 lakh.

Haryana’s new sports policy, unveiled with much fanfare in January, has hiked the cash awards for medal winners but things have not changed much for the budding athletes. 

Empty envelopes vs suitcases

This may not cause heartburn among the Indian athletes who are used to receiving empty envelopes during award-giving functions but it’s an interesting contrast. Barely had the UAE’s Aliah Saeed Mohammad, the gold medallist in the women’s 10,000m in Incheon Games, alighted the podium at the Asiad Main Stadium and reached the athletes lounge, she was greeted by a maroon-white suit clad gentleman and presented a suitcase. He was from the UAE Olympic Association, and had flown in to deliver the promised reward.

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