Medal-deprived India battles poor training facilities

‘Lack of international-standard stopped talented youngsters from rising through ranks’

In this photograph taken on May 4, 2012, India’s Narsingh Pancham Yadav celebrates after winning the men’s 74kg wrestling freestyle weight class during the Vantaa Cup 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament’s finals

in Vantaa. (AFP)

NEW DELHI, July 24, (AFP): In an old ring on a dusty field India’s elite boxers are hard at work, hoping to one day end the country’s dismal Olympic medal record, despite the sub-standard training facilities.

Rohit Tokas and other national-level boxers at a temple complex in bustling New Delhi have long used the outdoor ring, but only in the early mornings and late afternoons when the sweltering heat eases.

After failing to qualify for the Olympics during a test event in Rio, Tokas is among those convinced India need to overhaul their training centres if they are to have any hope of improving their dire medal count.

“The main thing is to have better facilities,” said the lightweight boxer who works out with rusted dumbbells in a dingy weights room.

“What I saw in Rio was an eye opener. The way they approach their training is totally different from how we go about our routine drills,” he told AFP. “Their diet and thinking is very different to us.”

The privately funded Baba Gang Nath academy is packed with boxers, wrestlers, and judo and volleyball players all determined to represent India.