Sports not seen as a career option in India: Ashwini Nachappa
PTI | 09:09 PM,Sep 03,2010Bangalore, Sept 3 (PTI) Former Indian athlete Ashwini Nachappa today said sports in India is not being promoted as a career option and made a passionate appeal for grass roots support in a big way. "....the fact of the matter is we really don't offer career for sportsmen in our country", she regretted while addressing business club road show, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, in connection with the Queen's Baton Relay. While hosting big events such as Commonwealth Games are fabulous, one needs to be equally proud of sports people who bring laurels for the country. But they are rarely given opportunity to highlight what they deserve, she lamented.Sports people struggle for years to get a medal for the country but once they retire, they don't get jobs. Nachappa said as a sportsperson, she feels hurt when she reads news (corruption scandals in organising CWG). Negativity that surrounds the Games makes it even more essential to run the sports professionally and in result-oriented fashion with greater accountability. "Children taking up sports still suffer. We got Rs ten per day to compete. Maybe today it's Rs 25", she observed. Nachappa pleaded with the industry to partner with private organisations to promote sports at the grass-roots level and take up sponsorship.
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