Back then, I was the only civilian who played the sport: Imtiaz Anees
Nothing makes former equestrian Imtiaz Anees happier than looking at the current Indian Olympic contingent. This is because what he calls a “lonely journey” is far from the truth today. Anees was only the second Indian to represent the country in equestrian at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “This is the largest contingent that we are sending to the Olympics. I am very excited about that,” he gushes. Anees says every Indian should be proud of our contingent, as our visibility has expanded and diversified into other sports over the years. “We usually go for mainstream sports but this time, we have had swimmers, we have had fencing, sailing, equestrian and so on. It is lovely that we have put in the hard work to represent the country in sports that never saw our presence,” adds the 50-year-old. Anees is particularly excited for the sport he represented the country in — equestrian. Indian equestrian Fouaad Mirza will take the centrestage on July 30 and Anees couldn’t be happier. “When I started riding, I was the only civilian who played the sport. It was an army-dominated sport. All events were held in
This is the largest contingent we are sending to the Olympics.
ANEESIMTIAZ, Exequestrian
cantonment areas. Now, it has changed tremendously,” he remembers, adding Mirza comes confidently to the competition off the back of winning previous games.
Anees, recently, came out with his memoir, Riding Free, that explores his journey. He hopes that more youngsters will take up the sport.