After first ever medal, hope emerges for sepak takraw
NEWDELHI: India’s maiden sepak takraw medal at the Asian Games not only brought joy to the players, but also relief. Ahead of the 2018 edition, with disciplines like football not getting the nod from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), questions were raised about the viability of sending teams in a lesser-known sport like sepak takraw.
The sport, however, gave India their fourth bronze on Tuesday.
“It’s a huge relief. Ahead of the Games, a certain section said there was no point in sending sepak takraw teams to Jakarta when a prominent sport like football was missing. We were made a laughing stock. I hope, after this medal, we will no longer be a soft target,” Yogendra Singh Dahiya, Sepak Takraw Federation of India secretary general, said over phone from Jakarta.
HUMBLE BACKGROUNDS
“Almost all players in our squad come from humble backgrounds. Harish Kumar, part of the Regu team that won bronze, is a street hawker in Delhi. Ngathem Jotin Singh, who hails from Manipur, worked as a daily labourer. Earlier, many players left the sport because there was no future.”
However, things are improving. “Recently, 10 players from our team were employed by the SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) in Assam. However, as sepak takraw is not a listed sport in the Department of Personnel and Training, employment is still a problem,” Dahiya said.
Sepak takraw is a volleyballstyle sport in which players use their feet, head, knees and chest to hit the ball across the net. They are not allowed to use their hands.
The Indian Regu team was drawn with Iran and Indonesia in Group B in the team competition. India lost to Indonesia but beat Iran to finish second in their group. It was enough to seal a semi-final spot and ensure a medal. In the semi-final, India lost to defending champions Thailand.
India have been improving rapidly over the last couple of years. In 2017, Hyderabad hosted the Sepak Takraw World Cup, where India won bronze. The sport is pushing to be an Olympic sport.
THE INDIAN REGU TEAM WAS DRAWN WITH IRAN AND INDONESIA IN GROUP B IN THE TEAM COMPETITION.