'Indian athletes are known only if biopics are made on them'

Manoj Kumar, who won gold in the 69 Kg category at the recently-concluded national boxing championships in Visakhapatnam has hit out at the step-motherly treatment meted out to athletes of almost all sports except cricket. "In our country, it's sad that athletes who have represented the country at the Olympics struggle to get even basic facilities while even a Ranji cricketer gets a lot more. I'm an example of this. I'm a Class-III employee - ticket collector with the Indian Railways, while a cricketer, who plays Ranji get the Class-II officer's rank. Why," questioned Kumar, on the sidelines of the Fit India conclave held at a city hotel on Saturday. Politicians, who spend on crores on election rallies and functions are also to blame, said Manoj, a 2010 Commonwealth Games gold winner.

Manoj Kumar

"We train hard to ensure we win a medal for the country. We need funds for modern training or to hire support staff like a dietician, mental trainer, etc. But here, we struggle to even buy a good pair of training shoes, while politicians spend crores on election campaigns or rallies or other unnecessary celebrations, but do not have funds for athletes. The media also has a huge role to play in this situation, felt Manoj. "If you switch on the TV or pick up a newspaper, majority of the time or space is taken by cricket news. And whatever little space is left, others sports get filled in. People only get to know us if we achieve something big or till a film is made on us. For example, before the biopic of MC Mary Kom, not many knew of her achievements. Another example is Dangal, after which Geeta Phogat and her family became household names."