BY SAINA NEHWAL
There is great belief among the fraternity that we can make a mark in Tokyo 2020, especially with our athletes doing well at the global level in a number of sports.
That can be seen how it is no longer cricket alone that is in the limelight. I think that is one of the greatest changes in India in the last decade. The key is to get good results.
I must admit I have been so occupied as a player that I have not had time to look at the system from any other perspective. But I can see positive changes over the past few years.
While our travel for competition was always financially supported by the government, the establishment of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) in 2014-15 has been a great step. There was a time when if we needed some equipment, we would have to ask an NGO for help. Now, it is easier for more athletes to seek support from TOPS.
The monthly Out of Pocket allowance is also a great step as more players now get support for their training, including dietary supplements, and even competition.
One good thing is that a lot of effort is going towards being in touch with the players and encouraging them to focus on their game, train hard and equip themselves to compete with best.
I can say that the system is only getting better each year, with little room for the athletes to be concerned about.
We were lucky India has had a good bunch of players in the past 10 or 15 years, but I must admit it is special when people see me as a pioneer and the standard of Indian badminton has gone up to have several players in the top 50 in world badminton.
To be honest, I was not a huge fan of sports when I started playing and I didn’t know the importance of the Olympic Games.
But by the time I was picked to represent India in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, I realised that it was the real deal, and I was excited I had the chance to do something for the country even as a teenager.
I could have won a medal there and I still cannot believe that I gave up a 11-3 lead in the third game of the quarterfinal with Indonesia’s Maria Yulianti.
The expectations were not high back in 2008. I understood the value of being on the podium and watching the Tricolour go up when I won the bronze in London in 2012, my second Olympic Games.
I realised I had played a lot of tournaments and was better prepared in London than in Beijing.
I had also tasted success in the Super Series events, winning my maiden event in Indonesia in 2009 and three titles in 2010. I was increasingly confident that I could challenge the Chinese players dominating the circuit back then.
I am told 133 badminton players have been identified as Khelo India scholars and, when they show good results, some will progress to TOPS, first in the Development Group and then in Core Group. It would have been fantastic had such a move been made earlier.
But players now know that they will be supported if they keep getting good results.
(Saina Nehwal, pathbreaking badminton player, is a 2012 London Olympic Games bronze medallist).