Mobilising a battalion of talent
Army has been instrumental in providing platform for athletes to excel
NEWDELHI:“WHETHER it is the border or the playing field, duty comes first. Smile or cry, you have to do it,” says Dattu Bhokanal, a rower who was part of the men’s quadruple sculls team that won gold at the 2018 Asian Games. Bhokanal is a havildar in the Indian Army.
It is perhaps this attitude towards life that makes an army personnel push the boundaries to achieve great heights, even in the playing arena. From the days of the great Milkha Singh to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Olympic silver medallist and Union sports minister, the army has nurtured and produced sportspersons who have made India proud.
It was no different at the Asian Games in Indonesia. The army provided the impetus India needed for its best haul in the history of the Games, winning a total of 69 medals including 15 gold. A total of 66 army personnel participated in Jakarta and Palembang; 16 won medals — four gold, four silver and three bronze. “The army provides equipment, support staff, coaching. Add to this discipline, diet and job security. These factors make the mentality of an armyman very different,” says Olympian Bhokanal.
Existing sporting infrastructure make it easier for armymen to get off the blocks. Take Major Ashish Malik for example. Malik’s silver in team eventing wouldn’t have been possible without the army. Equestrianism is expensive and without the army’s patronage, pursuing the sport could have been difficult for him.
Job security, promotion, accommodation and travel, apart from respect and honour, are significant factors which add to the lure of joining the army. A civilian will have to worry about all these aspects before taking up a sport as a career.
Subedar Rajiv Arokia, who won silver in both men’s and mixed 4x400m relay, pointed out that the army takes care of those needs which otherwise would stop many who come from poor backgrounds. “If I was a civilian, I would have to worry for everything: food, water, stay. But not in the army which is a power in itself,” said Rajiv, who hails from Tiruchirappalli.
Naib Subedar Amit Panghal, the saving grace for India’s boxing contingent in Indonesia, feels he has become a better pugilist after working with “great coaches” in the army. “The army has played a huge role in shaping my career. Their support has helped me reach this position. After every national camp when I return to the army, our coaches make me practice hard with fellow boxers, who point out mistakes so that I can rectify them,” says Panghal, who won the 49kg gold in Jakarta.
Naib Subedar Jinson Johnson says the army provides not just a base but an excellent platform for athletes to go the distance. “Whether it is volleyball, athletics or any other sport, there are facilities and grounds even in the smallest units. Fitness is very important and there are several cross-country races in every unit. All this has helped the army to produce many sportspersons,” says Johnson, who won men’s 1,500m gold and 800m silver.
THE PUSH BY ASI
The Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune is a premier facility with good infrastructure, sports science centres, foreign experts, a sporting environment which helps in churning out top sportspersons. The best among the army head there to train under foreign coaches who are backed by top class doctors and physios.
Those athletes selected for India attend national camps but if not, they can continue training at ASI. In addition, the athletes also take part in intra-army competitions or, as part of the Services team, participate in various national events which keep them ready for events.
Training for weightlifting, fencing, diving, athletics, archery, boxing, rowing and wrestling is provided in Pune while other major army training centres are Mhow (shooting), Mumbai (yachting) and Meerut (equestrianism).
“We have also roped in five foreign experts in archery (coach from South Korea), fencing (Russia), diving (Cuba), boxing (Cuba) and weightlifting (Slovakia). The Army Boys Company (ABC) is the main breeding ground where talented athletes in the age group of 10-16 are selected and given training and provided with education,” says Col Rakesh Yadav, Commandant of ASI. “The ABC was set up in coordination with SAI at different units. There are 210 youngsters in the scheme spread across the country which contributes nearly 60% to elite group.”
The ASI also scouts for talent through sports quotas and its regular recruitment drives. “If someone shows potential, we give opportunity to further polish skills and put the sportsperson in one of the five training centres. Good facilities help them make the cut for the national team like Johnson and Arokia,” says Yadav.
Following the success at the Asian Games, the army is now focusing on bigger targets. “The Asian Games was a good platform to show that we have potential. I’m certain our athletes will do better in future. We have had discussions with coaches and athletes and they believe performance could be improved with more international exposure. Hence, we will chalk out a programme to give regular exposure to fine-tune skills and also build confidence under Mission Olympic Cell,” says General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army. With several top stars coming from the army, it won’t be a surprise if we have another medal from it at Tokyo 2020.